Blink issue 112 mar26 2016

SMELLS FISHY The lakes of Bengaluru are in a state of grievous disrepair, and the administration doesn’t seem interested in cleaning them up p2 saturday, march 26, 2016

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Fear factor

Through headless bodies and basements stuffed with zombies, a self-confessed horror movie addict deconstructs the familiar rhythms of the genre in an attempt to understand its appeal p9

TENANCY WRONGS Landless farmers in India are working twice as hard and still going down p7

PUFF PIECE Just when you think you know enough about the puffin, the creature surprises p22

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Pub city’s very dry patch The few lakes in Bengaluru that have escaped land sharks are today little better than sewage lines, including a foaming one that bursts into flames, and another that kills masses of fish

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here do you begin to tell the story of a thousand deaths?

Should you begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end, and then stop? Perhaps. But the story of the lakes in Bengaluru would hardly lend itself to a linear narrative.

Earlier this month, the Ulsoor lake — famed for its gorgeous sunsets sliding behind a tiny island, boat rides set off against the champagne skies and a popular refuge from the sweltering summer days — saw its first fish-kill of the year. Hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores,FEATURE raising a mighty stench for pasCREATURE sers-by and the dozens of plush lake-view apartments in the vicinity.

The news and pictures got a few column inches in the papers and a bit of airtime, but not for longer than a day. Eutrophication was old news even a decade ago.

the city in the 16th century). The jacaranda shrunk from 3.4 per cent of the city area in and tabebuia trees that line the roads and 1973 to 1.47 per cent in 2005; the built-up area parks in nearly every neighbourhood — how- grew from 27.3 per cent to 45.19 per cent in the ever ill-maintained — still somewhat justify same period. the first sobriquet. But the city grew into the The fallout: flooding at the first hint of rain, gargantuan it is today by swallowing many of changes in micro climates and drastic changits lakes and spitting out a tragedy over sever- es in the migratory patterns of to birds.

Not to Ready fly Each al decades now. mention the cultural changes puffin follows its ownto Of course, not many people the face of the city, the death idiosyncratic route of year, payingin had stopped to notice. snakes, frogs year andafter other fauna seemingly little According to a committee set the vicinity, and the redundancy An encroacher is attention to what the up by the Karnataka legislature of life of fishereffectively a polluter. of a whole way others are—doing in 2014, an estimated 11,000 men, farmersshutterstock and other commuThe politics of the acres of lakebed has been ennities that lived by these lakes states is financed by croached on, from 1,545 lakes, in and helped keep them healthy real estate both Bangalore Urban and Rural and alive. districts. One-third of the enhile environmentalists croachments was by the Bangaand residents have been lore Development Authority and the rest by private land developers. Even until crying hoarse over the encroachment and the 1960s, the city of lakes boasted 280 water filth endangering the lakes since the 1970s, it was the almost surreal foaming of Bellandur bodies; today not more than 17 have survived.

A 2005 study by TV Ramachandra of the lake — the largest lake in Bengaluru — last year Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Insti- that caught national attention.

Reports of foam formation from the detertute of Science showed that waterbodies have

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once quiet, sleepy town of Bengaluru Thehe coordinated life of the puffin in the breeding season is in stark contrast to what it does had under its belt several sobriquets like during the of ‘city theofyear the ‘garden city’rest and the lakes’ (the nearly 300 that came into being along with

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hen I sit down each month to learn about a new creature, I expect that the creature’s life will soon begin to make sense to me. The process of understanding the Atlantic puffin, however, has been the reverse.

The more I discover, the more enigmatic the puffin becomes.

I would never have written about puffins had it not been for a suggestion from Jonathan Woodward, who works at the Museum of Comparative Zoology in the office next door to mine. Though Woodward knew about puffins as a child, his current enthusiasm for them grew from an unusual source. “There’s this breakfast cereal called Puffins. They have puffin facts on the back of the box, so I read the facts on the back of box and I looked them up online… I was just really taken by them.”

Simply looking up facts is not often the best way to become excited about an organism.

But puffins are an exception. Facts about how puffins go about their lives have been enough to persuade me that, if I could choose such a thing, they’re the organism I’d most like to be.

I’d previously thought that puffins were too famous, too charismatic for me, a self-avowed champion of the underappreciated, to pay much attention to. And it’s undeniable that puffins’ appearance contributes to their easy popularity. “The black and white is very tasteful, very stylish,” Woodward described. But he soon convinced me that even their looks are not straightforwardly charming: “the shape of the feathers around the eye… makes them look sad and happy at the same time.”

Delving into their biology, I found that puffins continued to stubbornly defy all my expectations. Take, for example, their approach to nest hygiene. Pairs of puffins each lay a single egg inside of a burrow. They dig these burrows themselves, also constructing a small side tunnel that the chick uses as a toilet. “This Fragile beauty Ulsoor lake in Bengaluru has been waging behaviour a decades-long battle against pollution grnlong somashekar ensures that the chick’s down ambika kamath

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does not get fouled,” say Mike Harris and Sa- close together to return to their burrows sirah Wanless in The Puffin, a delightful account multaneously after going fishing in different of these birds’ biology. parts of the sea. Again, biologists can guess But unlike the chicks’ contained defecation, why this might be useful — landing together adult puffins are positively extravagant with could confuse the sea gulls waiting close by to their guano. Harris and Wanless describe it steal the puffins’ hard-earned fish — but we thus: “an adult puffin leaves the burrow to def- don’t know for sure. ecate, takes a few steps, turns around, raises its All this coordination among puffins in the tail and ejects a white trail. In time, this beha- breeding season lies in stark contrast to what viour results in series of very distinctive white they do during the rest of the year. As Woodlines radiating out from the entrance, a sure ward said, “They’re out at sea alone by themsign that a burrow is occupied.” selves, so completely solitary.” Until recently, You may expect any self-respecting biolo- puffins have been impossible to track as they gist to be able to trot out a neat evolutionary fly across vast ocean expanses in the nonhypothesis for why puffins adorn the entrance breeding season, never coming near land. But of their nest burrows with a fecal rangoli. But with recent technological advances, scientists personally, I’m stumped. And can measure where they go. What this isn’t the only aspect of the they’ve found so far is weird — puffin’s life about which we have each puffin follows its own idiomore questions than answers. Every now and then, syncratic route year after year, Consider the low-pitched vocalipaying seemingly little attention a whole colony of sations that puffins emit from puffins synchronises to what the others are doing. We within their burrows. No one is have no idea how a puffin decides their calls quite sure what these ‘groans’ where to go, and that’s just the convey. And it gets even more bistart of the questions. “Where do zarre when, every now and then, they sleep? Do they take naps? a whole colony of puffins synWhat are they doing out there chronises their calls. On such ‘groaning days’, that whole time?” Woodward mused, “They it is, in the words of puffin biologist Kenny Tay- might as well be alien creatures.” lor, “as if the earth itself were speaking in the Though Woodward works in a natural histotongues of a thousand puffins.” ry museum, he is less a scientist and more a Biologists’ best guess for why puffins groan poet. He’s had a chance, therefore, to observe in chorus is that low-frequency vibrations us biologists from the outside, as we go about transmitted through the soil help them locate “taking a large messy system like the world their neighbours’ burrows, preventing colli- and slicing it into thinner and thinner slices sions and collapses on the crowded islands until you can understand, or tell yourself that where thousands of puffins nest together. you can understand, what’s going on.” But evTheir breeding season is also marked by other ery now and then, something like a puffin impressive feats of coordination. The one I’d comes into view, reminding us how strange of most like to see is called ‘wheeling’, where a mystery this world still remains. large groups of puffins fly in a circle above both land and sea. Each puffin’s position in ambika kamath studies organismic and evolutionary the wheel is coordinated with its neighbours’ biology at Harvard University positions, allowing all of the puffins who nest ambimakath@gmail.com

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Seething mess The near-surreal foaming in Bellandur lake, the largest lake in Bengaluru. In this 2015 picture, private companies and citizens’ groups are seen spraying chemicals as part of efforts to improve the water quality sudhakara jain

gents and other chemicals draining into the lake began appearing in the 1980s.

But one day last year, the foam, already blowing on to windshields of cars and into the eyes of helmet-clad motorbike riders, caught fire. Cooking oil from the thousands of household drains that empty into the lake, is said to have reacted with detergents and other toxic chemicals to burst into flames.

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ost of the city’s lakes were created more than 400 years ago by damming three natural valley systems — the KoramangalaChallaghatta, Hebbal and Vrishabhavathi.

The way it worked was that rainwater would fill the lakes and the excess flowed downstream into the next lake through stormwater drains, or raja-kaluves.

Today, untreated sewage flowing into the stormwater drains is, in turn, polluting the lakes all around and has long made the water undrinkable. The springs at the bottom of some of the lakes, which also once fed the lakes, are blocked by decades of piled-up silt. A lot of Bengaluru’s water supply today is dependent on river-based systems.

The history of attempts to save the lakes has

been a chequered one. Along the way, the state high ammonia levels in Ulsoor lake. However, government even tried to privatise the lakes rather than a simple sewage treatment plant, and get large companies to adopt, clean and which not only cannot remove the nutrients give the lakes — and the flowers, trees, birds but is also not cost-effective, what is needed is and animals dependent on them — a fresh stab an integrated plan, like the one in force at Jakkur lake. “An algae pond and wetat life. lands remove 90-95 per cent of This step was met with a lot of the nutrients and the rest is reresistance from the public and moved by animals and plants was eventually overturned. along the way,” he says.

Cleanliness and awareness What water we have Leo F Saldanha, coordinator at drives achieve what they can, in Bengaluru is what the Environment Support Group but saving the lakes is an underwe are stealing from (ESG), an organisation at the foretaking that demands a lot more, Ramanagara, front of efforts to save the city’s activists point out. Dealing yet Channapatna, lakes, points out that there are Mandya... another blow, the 2016 State no easy answers.

Budget allocated a grossly insufHe lays the bulk of the blame ficient ₹100 crore for lake at the door of the big builders development. who have violated all guidelines iting the most recent fishwhen constructing lucrative apartments and kill at Ulsoor lake, Ramachandra says the villas offering lake views. solution lies in treatment of sewage water. He “An encroacher is effectively a polluter,” he explains that due to the higher temperatures says, pointing to the waste that enters the in summer, there is an increase in biological lakes from such dwellings. “The politics of the activity and the level of nutrients in the lakes, states is financed by real estate. Even when the leading to depletion of oxygen and the death encroachments are demolished, the governof fishes in large numbers. Add to this the ment goes after the weak guys. Unless we go after encroachments, nothing effective can be done,” he says.

Pegging the health of lakes as a much more vital issue than road congestion, which gets inordinate attention and thus funds, Saldanha says investment in road development was aimed at the elite, much to the detriment of lakes. “Any farmer will tell you that water needs to flow on soil, not on concrete. Break the concrete lining of raja-kaluves and plant shrubs along the edges,” he adds.

Calling the state of lakes a “ticking bomb waiting to explode in our faces”, Saldanha despairs that the government has not displayed the nerve to act against encroachments.

“Some predict that by 2025 we won’t have any water left in the city. We already don’t have any. What we have in Bengaluru is what we are stealing from Ramanagara, Channapatna, Mandya, and so on,” he points out.

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City’s chokehold Hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores of Ulsoor lake on March 7 k murali kumar

deepa bhasthi is a writer and the editor of ‘The Forager’, an online journal of food politics

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Smart cards fetch water Inside a rainbow

Encounters with lengths upon lengths of brilliant hues,in the A sustainable model takes safe drinking water to women from low-income groups master craftspeople, slums of Kolkata and committed conservationists in joint liability group (JLG) that is in charge of the textile paradise the upkeep of the filtering plant.

The plant, built by SAFE in partnership with of Kutch

the people, is supported by HSBC’s Water Programme, which provided the initial funding and technical support for the sustainable model project.

“This is an ambitious model on water and sanitation. The success of this project has been quite visible in the lower-income localities,” says Amrita Chatterjee, director (communications and research), SAFE. “It started off as a pilot project. The water is primarily taken from the nearby pond and filtered at the plant that has been built on community land. The water that cannot be purified is directed to the community toilets, which are, in turn, connected to a bio-gas plant that produces fuel for use in the community kitchens. Moreover, the filter plant runs on solar energy produced from the panels fitted on its roof,” she adds.

Over the last two years, the project has gradually attained self-sustainability.

The room Acres of ajrakh Freshly-dyed and printed fabric stretched out under a searing sun at Abdul Jabbar Khatri’s ‘workshop’ in Dhamadka village; (below) weaving a patola, or double ikat silk sari, involves precise placing of the tied-and-dyed warp and weft images: puneetinder kaur sidhu that houses the filtering plant has a huge solar grid that produces more than 10 KW of energy.

The water is supplied through underground his was a first — signing up for struc- traordinaire we visited, marvelled at, and haris (pastoral cattle traders), channels from the nearby pond.had migrated tured travel to play catch-up with often ate with over the week-long trip. here from water Sindh from over 300 years ago.

Surface the pond is notToday, usedhe as Kutch’s capabilities. It had seemed is most sought after for his artistry in doublepeople have inhibitions about drinking the like an enormously exciting way to Attired in tradition sided And wefor were going toand be dirty block waterprinting. that they use cleaning acquaint myself with an Indian extremity The journey from Ahmedabad is mostly un- walked washing.through The plantthe dailymany purifiestime-intensive about 10,000 hitherto unvisited. That it was going to unrav- eventful, along excellent highways that slice steps resultwhich in histhe award-winning crelitres that of water, residents collect el itself through brilliantly hued warps and through a number of prominent towns. It ations. first, lunch. Served hot off from the But three dispensers installed in the wefts accorded it that much more of the pro- includes a brief glimpse of the salt hearth by our generous famslum. Though 10 litres come free, thehost’s residents verbial colour. As also the knowledge that our pans near the Surajbari creek the flavourful meaty can always buyily,more by topping up meal their Bonding over water Community participation by is the Kalikapur intimate group would be accompanied ankey to atthe the edge model’s of thesuccess Little saadia azim was a welcome change smart cards with money. expert for edifying effects. Up until then my fa- Rann. From atop a from the vegetarian thaThe additional water is priced at a nominal miliarity with this space had straddled pen- bridge here, the point lis we had equally rel50 paise per litre. hat more could ask where nanted souvenirs ubiquitously soldone along hand pump would run dry or the municipal we ambitiousished that the past couple It was a World Bank study revealed an have a reliable kerb-side marts, and for? high We street chains retail- ly public installed few and far between, uncomfortable truth: poor triedtaps, to capture of days.

Yetdrinking it’s the quality source of drinking water, blindingly ing market-driven prêt-a-port.

The gobsmackwould get no supply. white gur so white, butter water was causing 21 per cent of diseases in Inwhich is clean, safe craft and, landscape ing might of the region’s efflorescent There wasdigitally, also every chance that the stored dia and creating a burden so fresh, bajra-na-rotof around ₹300 most importantly, Rinki the though would hit adequate,” me a lot remarks later — when waterArabian would get Seacontaminated. is so motivated hearty, thatSAFE encrore for the government.laThis Shaw, 20, of No. at 3, Kalikapur located on squinting down miniatureslum, embroideries an butBut their fortunes 10 km away.

Here turned and, today, get- to plan this project. Indiadure as my has indelibly been spending the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata.

Ahmedabad-based revivalist reverentially dis- on, ting the water is no longer the torturous chore it around ₹1.48 lakh croreforemost topography culinary every year since the She is among the away manyinwomen in an theinterarea turns played and locked a vault for used to be.

The women simply walk over to a 1990s on various waterouting dramatically from the trip. sanitation projects. who havedebut. been using a smart card for around monochromatic national water ATM at their too.convenience, and take Even so, the country ranks Length freshly120 inupon a UNDP surtwo yearsthat nowday to collect 10 litres of potable wa- Swathes Earlier I’d stood in awe of the treahome theirupon share without dun wordyed and on printed length vey of 123 nations the ‘safe water every morningwithin from the an automatic water swathes sured collections verdure-cloaked, rying whether there would punctuated by be stretched out under a searter index’. dispensing machine.and restructured haveli thorny stunningly-carved any left. clusters and hardy ing sun greeted slum us at Jabbar’s The Kalikapur project In is fact, slumMuseum dwellersofofTextiles. ward numbers that thethe Calico Imperi- trees So,embroidering where and how is the wa- Following the success ‘workshop’. seasonal A euphemism really has successfully demonstrated 108 directives and 109 in Kolkata have gone high-tech ous from a babushka-wearing histo- ter bodies supplyare maintained? anpar for the The course. for rolling acreage with an effective system todotted address baof Kallikapur, the with had a vengeance. rian us whirlwinding past all manner of Relief swer comes from local came few andanother far between, sundry structures a worksic healthcare andwhere sanitation isproject is being A single patola saree They all expertly useprinted, their smart cards to first woven, embroidered, and tied-andwoman, Kavita Pal.of rich green in the guise force went sues. of Theplenty key furiously is to utilise replicated in two is shaped over four to collect their quota of free the vari- fields, dyed exhibits harking backwater to thefrom 15th century.

“Weand arelater, getting the water the textiles. about the sources incredibly complex renewable of energy like other Kolkataby slums five months an ous compact machines, The rush hadwater left atdispensing least one of us dizzilypopbe- from filtering plant “It isa important to seethat crafthas in business at hand.

A tannin solar power and bio-gas, andsoak catequal number of ularly as water ATMs, installed their its reft ofknown experience.

Protests, however in feeble, been set up Durga with the technical context,” Venkataswalater, cotton yardage isinto leftaction. to dry alyse the community highly skilled and neighbourhoods. were met by authoritative recommendations my, support of SAFE (South Asian Fothe Hyderabad-based textile before the design is outlined The project is currently being imaginative artisans beside a huge pond, access to technologist to Despite visit theliving real deal. rum for Environment), leading oura nontour with a pasteinoftwo limeother and natural replicated urban potable was the biggest problem faced had “Kutchwater is paradise for lovers of textile!” governmental sciencebefore and environment orga- slums in Kolkata. shared shortly we gum. A mordant — fermented filby the women Kalikapur for longest alighted Kamliniben hadof exclaimed, herthesonorous nisation.atThere was a time when the women Abdul Jabbar Khatri’s trate of scrap andus jaggery — A happy Rina Jana sums iron up: “For women time. contrasting Most wouldstartlingly wake upwith at the crack of house voice her bird-like here would spend threevillage. to four hours daily it’s been a total in Dhamadka is used to fillThese in thedays, black areas of win-win. even men dawn andWe rush to thewait nearest persona. couldn’t to go.hand pump to “Particularly collecting water.

We could notthere’s take care our the in Kutch, where an of interFollowing the fabric is havedesign. gotten involved in which doing what was conqueue for their turn to fill of drums and buck- esting Bhuj,up administrative head Kutch district, children or do household chores with a free interplay with environment... also it’s dipped vats, work. often more than once, sideredinto onlyindigo a woman’s With communiets, which they wouldinthen home. They was near-decimated the carry devastating tem- possibly mind because collecting water wastraditional always the and the last few regions where dried. After a quick rinse at athe simulated ty ownership and participation, onus of facedthat immense blor hit themental regionand in physical 2001. Nostrain effortbut by attire first priority. least The withpeople the water machines is still At worn.” of the Banni cascade of running water, it isshared. dried yet again. getting the work done is now Men and bore society it all because there was simply nospared other grasslands civil and the government was and smart continue cards, we to dosport not have to (resistworry Another ajrakh alumunderstood mordant isthe applied bewomen have meritsbefore of workway. to resuscitate the hard-hit communities of dyed aboutblock securing our most printing) as basic daily right wear,anymore. she had ing side pot-boiled with madder root (natural red by side.”

Of course, there wasvoiced no guarantee that they elaborated craftspeople.

This was — was empiricalI am assured of safeJabbar’s water and my children do dye) over roaring fires. By the time perfectlyfurther. family, longstandsaadia azim , Women’s Feature Service would return with water every time.

Either the ly evident even — by most of the artisans ex- ing not fall ill frequently,” says Pal, who heads the aligned, producers of classic ajrakh for the Malddouble-sided ajrakh reaches us clue-

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Not kid stuff When HRD minister Smriti Irani justifies the need to discipline university students, she has the approval of the majority that endorses mainstream gender norms pti/ vijay kumar

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Mama, don’t preach It is all-important today to forcefully criticise any power that deploys the discourse of motherly concern to silence and infantilise others

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omen’s Day whooshed past us early this month, and I continue to be haunted by two horrific images from the recent past: one, of a young woman, head buried in her mother’s lap, convulsed by sobs and unable to return to a sense of wholeness after being gang-raped by Jat protestors and later gagged by the police; the other, again a young woman of about the same age, a student of a prestigious film institute who had complained about a professor’s sexual abuse, bracing herself as a gang of men, fellow students all, threaten and abuse her outside her hostel room. Both were advised against demanding justice, in the name of the ‘family’ — or educational institution-as-family, as the case may be.

Lest the reader dismisses these as carpings by ‘incurable feminists’, let me point out that the evocation of intimacy can divert attention from serious social injustice. We learned this the hard way. We are constantly told that institutions run best when they are intimate, closer-to-informal spaces. We do know that the evocation of intimacy works to mask the operation of power hierarchies within families and, indeed, turn our attention away from the conflicts within.

It is fatal to reduce issues of social inequality and power differentials to the familial language of ‘love and care’. Even if one conceded that all members of public institutions are the true bearers of familial values, love and care included, it does not serve to resolve the problem. There is no guarantee that such familial feelings will endure forever; so what’s really needed are externallyformulated rules — like democratic-constitutional guarantees for reservations, while internalised norms like fel-

low-feeling and compassion for the badly-off politics. We, both women and men, now stand are quite welcome. Not to forget, families are before a refurbished patriarchy that seems to often hierarchical and love and care is not have abandoned all pretence of ‘empowershowered equally on all members. ment’ except as a useful keyword in the State’s But then, love and care — coded feminine efforts to correct demographic imbalance and and familial — as a form of power have long es- add provisioning responsibilities to poor caped the confines of actual families. women’s daily workloads.

Indeed, 2016 has given us many thoughtOver the past decades, we witnessed how it provoking examples — of Smriti Irani infanti- makes poor women the agents of securing life lising the late Rohith Vemula as a ‘child’ even through self-help, even as it fashions a necroas she justified the need to discipline universi- politics through the death penalty, precisely ty students; Justice Pratibha Rani producing a on the pretext of ensuring women’s safety. But judgment that has less to do worse things seem to be in store. with upholding the Indian ConManeka Gandhi’s recent prostitution than with tweaking a nouncement on marital rape wayward child’s ears. In both, seems to indicate that we are Where does that we see a form of disciplining back to Brahminical ways where put the familiar power coded feminine and patriarchal authority, not uncondiscourse of women therefore utterly acceptable to ditional love and care, alone matas agents of the majority that endorses ters. Her reasons are not only development? In the mainstream gender norms. It is foolish, they also throw the hithdustbin, where else? important to point to this as a erto-dominant global discourse form of power that seems to of women’s agency in developspring from the mainstream ment into utter disarray — marifeminine, and may be deployed tal rape cannot be banned, she in disciplining people of all genders. To criti- feels, because of illiteracy, poverty, and other cise this form of power, especially when a pow- such development ills! If women’s rights and erful woman wields it against the powerless of agency at home cannot be fostered under any gender is not at all sexism. While certain such conditions, where does that put the faepithets or usages may well be sexist and fit miliar discourse of women as agents of develfor criticism, it is all-important now to force- opment? In the dustbin, where else? fully criticise any power that deploys the disThis is part of the larger attack on the very course of motherly concern to silence and idea of an inclusive India — and that is where infantilise others. we must find courage and strength. This is not We seem to have come full circle. The patri- a war solely of, or for women; it is for us to archal family pursues us even when we try to trace the connections and join the battle. flee to universities; it returns not just through the patriarchs, the male authorities, but also j devika is a historian and critic based in the Big-Mothers encouraged by right-wing Thiruvananthapuram

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COSMOPOLIS

The sacred & the historical The Murty Library was recently petitioned to drop Sheldon Pollock from its editorial board.

A truly progressive, scientific society does not privilege belief over knowledge won few converts among the chattering classes, it has struck a chord elsewhere, gaining thousands of signatures.

The petition demands that scholars recognise the “greatness of Indian civilisation.” It may be possible to arrive at an understanding of the “greatness of Indian civilisation,” but real scholarship cannot proceed from that triumphalist notion as a premise.

Tellingly, the petition insists that in the ranks of scholars attached to the Murty Classical Library, “there must be a fair representation of the lineages and traditional groups pathdoc/shutterstock that teach and practise the traditions dePAPERWALLAH scribed in the texts being translated. This would ensure that the sentiments and understanding of the millions of Indians who practise these traditions are not violated.”

What does this mean? Here, we see the dangerous mingling of the sacred and the historical, the notion that an ancient scripture’s holiness is inextricable from its academic study, that only those who believe can properly know. Indian and NRI critics often accuse Pollock and other western Indologists of not respecting the full holiness of ancient Hindu n the course of writing this paragraph, I tween a variety of coloured “chromotherapy” stop writing.

“The waycannot out is bring through” scriptures.

Since Pollock “au-their have checked Facebook twice (two new backgrounds, audio tracks to “focus your website informs me.texts, “Obstructions. thentic” faith dourly to the study of these the arnotifications, a friend request, an event mind on your words”, and keystroke sounds Not goes, options.” soundstolike the the literary gument he isThis doomed distort Facing the reminder), ‘anti-national’ fire Sheldon Pollock, a professor South Asian studies University opened Twitter (a new follow- of to “support yourat Columbia every move on and the keyequivalent a nasty gym teacher who sends “true” meaningsofembedded within them. friedman/the new york times editorer of the Murty Classical Library mysteriously namedof India “ThemishaStranger”), board.” All this for a minimum of $5.11. For a I think you scholars for another seven rounds of the track should be open to traditionclicked on a link listing reviews of new bars few dollars more, there’s Hemingway, that in whenforms you can’t even finish Unlike other al pundit of learning.

Butone. scholarship, uring my in undergraduate and restaurants Delhi. For dateyears night,atdon’t I recalled Literature’ while fol- will addition‘The to aBible clean,asstreamlined interface, writing programmes, Flowstate like other aspects of public life, shouldapparently be beone of the most celebrated head Yale, to Tamasha, in Connaught Place, I’m lowing theyou controversy caused the So ama(I kid not) critique your by prose. it higha sacred spacereligious for initial“senticreation, yond“features the diktat of fragile seminars was for a class called ‘Thewith Bi- the warned; “it’s really a rendezvous teurish petition unseat Sheldon Pollock, theones lights long to sentences in yellow, complex with enlisted to unleash a person’s ments” — arigid termlaws always invoked to shut down as Literature’. course gently Tinderblehook-up you’reThe never going to see American Sanskrit, as editor of the in in red,scholar passiveofvoice in green, and adverbs thoughts, feelings, and likebewater.” debate and conversation.

Weideas should able to liftedagain.” the sacred scripture from its Meanwhile, someone haspedestal emailed me Murty Classical launched blue so youLibrary. can “getThe rid petition of them and pick verbs In despair, I elicit help of a few writer study Hindu, Muslim and the Christian scriptures and examined what hamster it was, a written pictures ofit afornaked posing text with his a thousand headlines with force instead.”and I ammade in awe.a volumi- as literature, as the friends.

Some havehands installed work of human andwritthat could be analysed nimble and favourite food. TheinDictionary of surprisObscure Sornously-bearded otherwise ivo- minds, without fear (And quiteand certain theinnocuous app ingofapps.

A few, Freedom.(A“But censure or violence ing ways. so online doing, nobody was disrespectrows In (an compendium of invented ry tower denizen a household would drive me crazy.) name in India. diversions can also within truly progressive,the scientific society doesbenot ing the billions of by people consider the words written Johnwho Koenig) has informed I’m glad — the founder of privilege belief over For that the Rohan most Murty part, though, you,” says one philosophically. knowledge.)

Bibleme holy, who treasure alludes its talestoand to that that “Zenosyne” “theseek sense the Library — swiftly rejected claims ofMost the writer’s these writer’s apps seemthe to conAnother strain feels these apps themThereapps is an unfortunate of provincial seem topatriotism concentrate adhere to keeps its teachings.

Instead, throughwhen rig- trytime going faster.”

Especially petition and supported Pollock. centrate on sparseness — theThe keypetition’s are rejection obstructions. in this,selves the prickly of Pol-That on sparseness lock they’re orousing literary analysis, students explored how to meet writing deadlines, I wish to add. signees alleged groundlessly phrases being “fuss-free menus”, all a step far. can “Weamust as an outsider — too “What scripture howvideos. the Bible inspires so beThenworks there and are cat Videos of dogs that Pollock “has deep antipathy “lightweight tools”, “stripped onus our ownour resilience,” whitedepend man tell about hismanyfriending people around cats. the Of world. cats sleeping. Chasing towards many of the ideals and down workspace”.

Some, like iA, says.

“How?” we faintly. tory, he our religion?”

Butquery I don’t Thestring. basic principle in the class is for Annoyingembodied babies. A Google search values cherished and “focus” practised have introduced modes whatdirected he does: for two thinkThis the isangst at PolScholarship should be lock hours fundamental to India” life in (research secular society.

Scrip- has “folk music for an article) in our civilisation”.

They also cit-from that dim everything apart every morning, he switchis really about the colour of beyondyou’re the diktat ture exists on twoBody planes, the ed Pollock’s led mesimultaneously to a page on “Tropical Language.” defence or of even the stuthe paragraph, the sentence, esof off the turns off his hisinternet, skin or his country of phone. citizen- And fragile religious sacred historical.

It is imbued with the Onand mythe phone, one WhatsApp message tinkles dentsworking at Jawaharlal Nehru on. Although, I would think a “diswrites. ship (his critics cluelessly accuse sentiments ineffable power of the divine, but atSelf theissame in after another.

While Will worried University as proofword that he disretraction-free processor” would be one That’shim a sound we muttereven approvof strategy, “Orientalism,” time about it is also work ofnovel” humandying beings who of thethe “serious because spected integrity that“the goesunity full and screen and suppresses all pop- ingly. Except every my resolution though theirmorning own preferred inlivedthere in realbeing placesno and in real I’m political so- of India,” readers, moreand concerned as ifnotifications the professor’s ups and from email or other withers. terpretations of the Hindu past cial conditions.

In being order to respect the Writing sanctity anyabout there few writers. criticism the government apps. of To ensure that, however, I can install Perhaps, all is to not lost.

I realise I’ve owethough, much Orientalist of the former, you do nothere’s have another to deny 27-hourthe calls Freedom thing.

Because look, into question his deep eruto “block distractions, be productive, written thought). the rest of this article, miraculously, truthlong of the catlatter. video. dition andstart nuanced understanding of “Absolutely the Inand accomplishing more.” distractions. was in, what Flowstate No,sans it has to do withIsomething far worse This is an important Maintain- dian brilliant,” I have options, ofdistinction. course. past. flashes a quote from Nick Hornby in “the zone”.InI’dthe switched thanpromises, casual xenophobia. petitionnothing — and off. ing theZenPen divide between the historical and the offers a “minimalist” online writing The petition hasbanner. been widely panned in the the feedback I’m not tempted untilin I the I’dwork usedof Word.

And the was of my its guru, the only New sound Jersey-based sacred is not simply academic exercise, it’s media zone “where youan can block out all distractions by academics. arguments have If seeand praise from NaomiIts Klein “I love Freedom. fingers hitting the keyboard.

The fact that I writer Rajiv Malhotra (who is to sophisticated whatand separates secularimportant. democracyThe from theoc- Not get to what’s writing!” beenI ever systematically dismantled and the But finish writing my book this is why.” had a deadline helped, of course.

But is that historical scholarship what Subramanian racy. sure A society that insists the sa- it’s how that’s meanton tomingling work considering threadbare credentials of many its backers would it work? Surely it wasof simple to just not all?isWhat is the spacediscourse) where writers when Swamy to civil political — wego see cred one and of themany historical will tabs creepI towards browser have open. exposed.

Yetitdespite its flaws andAnd logical in- an intolerance switch on. Or switch it off. the writing they write?for the critical intellectual habbecoming Saudi Arabia or, for that matter, Pa- consistencies, (Twelve.

Because I quickly, surreptitiously the petition is setting the terms of apps seemed to be minimalistic variations temptations its thatBeyond are theall bedrock of notand onlytrickeries. a liberal I rekistan and Israel, countries where religious closed nine.)all The OmmWriter app, on the othfor aWord new or conversation about whothat hasgoes the full Scrivner. Everything alise it’s notbut online offline,open but in.

Where onarts education, alsoor a liberal, society. understandings ofitself the past supersede presenter hand, calls a “writer’s haven”.

It promrightscreen to interpret Indian history and be- ly we exist. The words and me. can be ancient minimised.

So easy to switch t@kanishktharoor day concerns. ises “your own private writing room where whattween that history should at look it has applications, thelike. flickWhile of a finger. janice pariat is the author of Seahorse; you can close the door behind you to focus on Enter Flowstate. your writing in peace.” You can choose beAn app that will delete everything if you t@janicepariat

The age of distraction

With the laundry list of distractions offered by the internet, this is arguably the toughest era to be a writer

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Kanishk Tharoor is the author of Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories, a collection of short fiction

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UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

Labour pains For the landless agricultural labourer, the struggle for everyday sustenance leaves no resources for loftier dreams

Sons of the soil The government has announced a compensation of ₹5,000 a hectare for farmers with destroyed crops. Imagine living on that for four months, half a year.

Anyway, that is more land than most farmers in UP have b velankanni raj

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Omair Ahmad is the South Asia Editor for The Third Pole, reporting on water issues in the Himalayas

have known Dawan pretty much my whole life. In my childhood he seemed to be a large, strapping man. When bags of wheat were unloaded from the tractor trolley at home, he would heft one on his back, walk toward the garage, and dump it atop a neat and growing pile. Each bag would weigh upward of a 100 kg, or a quintal, as we call it. It seemed no mean feat to me then, that a man could make the trips back and forth, lifting those bags, shrugging them off, only to return for more.

And then, afterward, the workers would eat, Dawan among them. Dressed in lungis and undershirts, with their shirts flung over their shoulders, they would squat over a meal of rotis, dal and vegetables. And rice, of course, always rice. A meal was not complete without bhaat. They would work hard, eat well, and laugh loudly. Dawan, or Dauna, as he is often called, would have a bit of a swagger, and a big grin, set off by a small moustache.

He retains the moustache, and the brightness of that grin, but he has shrunk in the years that I have known him. I tower over him now, so I can no longer gift him older clothes of mine. It is not genes, no miracle of DNA or descent, merely a matter of nutrition. His hard work has not won him the food that he should have had, or had with regularity.

He is, what we call in the English writing press, a ‘landless labourer’.

The term does little justice to the life that such a man must live, dependent forever on those that own land, and can employ him. No

matter how strong such a man might be, or keep people afloat at such times. how resilient his spirit, the work strips the The government has compensated farmers flesh off of a body, it reduces a person to mus- who have been able to show that 75 per cent of cle, ligaments, and skin stretched tight over the crop has been destroyed in the village, at the bones. It is not as if Dawan did not try. He about ₹5,000 a hectare. Per season. Imagine travelled far for the work that he got, all the living on that for four months, half a year. way to Punjab, at times. And it is not as if he Anyway, that is more land than most farmdid not earn. He did. And with his earnings he ers in UP have. Dawan has none. built a house. But his son lives He does have a daughter, there, and Dawan still lives in the though, and this is the year that old thatched-roof mud house she is to be married. As dowry — a that I have always seen him practice that is illegal but continemerge from.

It has not been a good ues nevertheless — the boy’s famA couple of years ago, my wife ily has asked for a motorcycle. year for farmers, and I bought him a jacket — as alWhere Dawan is supposed to even worse for those so one for another person who find the money for one is hard to who have no land works at the farm. We made a imagine. My mother has suggestmistake. The jackets were too ed that I pay. My sister has just benice, and they disappeared, come the vice-president at a very skived off or given away, to their large hospital, and so she has children. This year we were a little less gener- sent some money. We are the fortunate chilous, and maybe a little wiser: the sweaters we dren of India, fortunate for having been born gifted stayed with them, for at least the few in the right family. Our hard work has been redays that I saw. warded while Dawan’s has stripped him to the This year Dawan’s daughter is to be married. bone, and left him helpless against a society If you have been following the news you know that will not show even an ounce of mercy, not it has not been a good year for farmers, even even during a drought. worse for those who have no land. Nor is this My mother fears that by giving money to Dathe first bad year. wan for his daughter’s marriage, we will be This is the second year that the rains have somehow complicit with the dowry demand. been uneven, coming at times when they Somehow it seems less terrible than simply should not have, and not coming at all at standing by when somebody I used to admire times when they should. Very few people have as a child, is left with nothing in the end. the savings to tide over these things, certainly t@OmairTAhmad not the very poor. Some odd jobs and loans

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look closely and make a determination about the harms or benefits.”

Godwin has worked with the Wikimedia Foundation, which offered Wikipedia Zero for free in some countries through specific providers, as a gateway to Wikipedia. But he isn’t trying to convince you one way or the other. “[There is] an idea that there was something valuable about carriers [service providers] being neutral,” he said. “And I still think that that’s true… But the thing that changed was this: with Wikipedia, I realised it doesn’t matter if you have neutrality if nobody can afford it. Neutrality hasn’t served the people who can’t afford to pay to have the wires built up to their provinces.”

This then boils down to the fundamental question: how do we create a world that gets people connected? “It may involve cross-subsidies of various sorts, and all of these things historically have invited some degree of government regulation,” said Godwin. “The question is less ‘do you regulate or not regulate’, the question is ‘do you do it right’.”

But does Free Basics mean anything to a developing country which needs real basics first: water, sanitation, shelter? Godwin doesn’t buy into the premise that the internet is a luxury that comes after all these things.

“I think that [idea] is wrong,” he said. “Because when people can share information or resources about where the water is or what good health practices are or how to properly cultivate a crop, they help everyone else. And The oracle online Mike Godwin, director of innovation policy and general counsel at Washington DC’s R the impulse to help and share what they know Street Institute, noticed and codified a behavioural pattern among social media users r street institute is strong.”

Godwin’s first law has now been well entrenched in popular culture. But wait, he has a partha pratim sharma second one. This one goes: Surveillance is the crack cocaine of governments.

“Almost all governments want to engage in surveillance,” he said. “Some governments have disagreements with other governments over their surveillance but rarely will we see them categorically refuse to surveil.”

And yet, he says, our outrage over this is driven by an “antiquated notion of privacy” that the content of our emails or conversations should be free from prying eyes. “In the rest of the century and future centuries people will look back at this idea and laugh: that people thought that content was the important thing,” he said. Someone reading your mail isn’t the only possible violation, but whether they are accessing the whole ecosystem of o all outward appearance, Ghachar contrasted with the cramped space in which your anomie.

“Appa’s hold on themetadata rest of uscan slipped. communication.

“The give Ghochar is a novel of domesticity, of he grew up: “four small rooms, one behind the away And to honest, we lost hold“The of ourselves, thebewhole store,” he said. metadata orfamilial gravity,tyrannies. there’s Newton’s law, for in- gone But it opens (and a higher lower level,” he said. other,tolike trainorcompartments”.

The move can too.”beThe small-time salesman his painsmore revealing.

Who arewith you talking to, ternet threads, closes)discussion in a space outside thethere’s home. from Godwin in India in other February as part of a at one was house to the is the spatial takingly accounted-for is replaced what time of day, for labour how long, how big at is law. Twenty-five years ago, a series It is as if Godwin’s it is only from that distance that the of totalks organised counterpart the family’s sudden rise up the the helm of the by his younger thefamily message?

These are allbrother, things law have student trawling through story might a chance of being told,cyberof es- through the Centre for Internet social ladder. and by a business makes much more that canthat matter.” space a recurring pattern: some capingnoticed the suffocating clutches of the at home in and Society on net neutrality.

“Everything we’d brought from the old money in a much lessnot transparent fashion.

As That’s the only thing that’s point discussion, would whichinitanisonline unfolding.

So wesomeone meet our un- house In early February, at worn, the Mumappeared more even unrecognis- the existingchanged. relationships between The internet has, them since have never heard invariably invokein Hitler or thespacious, Nazis. The ob- bai named narrator the “airy, highpoli- the “I ableUniversity’s in this new civics place,”and observes narrator. break down, so the values had held the its do early days, that become a more an argument for together. servation to an act of ‘mimetic engineer- tics ceilinged”led Coffee House. he was that on ahave been But itdepartment, is not only objects dis- family The weight new money is charged, moreofviolent place, banning sites that ing’ — rifling discussion boards, Spaces matterthrough to Shanbhag.

He is adept at il- panel others at a displaced.with Thethree people, too, seem to too much to bear. where poison, bile and abuse fly was good” pointing out, andshape promptly naming the cussion lustratingthis how they our social selves; took have lostthat theiroccasionally moorings. The arAndand yetfast. the family does hold thick law after him. function as mirrors for our internal land- an agitatedof tone. chitecture the old house cretogether.

In some terrifying way, “The level of hatefulness diGodwin’s lawHouse, states:for As an online is discussion scapes.

Coffee instance, not “one ated “[The debate] hasn’t become a certain camaraderie that it is all towards that it does.

In one of the rected women online is While it may be a grows longer, thebars probability of a comparison of your low-lit with people crammed heated inlost every country to the is all but in the new house, book’s mostbad,” devastating moparticularly he continued, parable, involving Nazisbut or aHitler oneyou — same around tables”, placeapproaches which “makes said.

“In India The Ghachar wheredegree,” everyonehehas a room to it has.” ments, the problem.” narrator voices a “It is a huge cross-cultural Ghochar that is, the likelier this becomes. feel cultured, sophisticated” if you drink in it. public discussion hasevery been polarised, with ac- is not themselves.

Where deciseeminglyproblem bland,is how throwaway Theaother enduring do you simple book Mike Godwin, 59,narrator a portly, white-haired gent tivists Sitting there, the watches a couple vehemently opposing, sion earlier had to be made as aamong other that later resobalance free thought speech rights whileseems curtailing in Harry Potterbreak-up, glasses isand bestisknown for this have a public reminded of a things, ‘Free Basics’ a Facebook collective one, the —family now offering. On hate speech?nant withwere meaning.

Referring to “If there an easy answer I’d aphoristic piece of wisdom. purpose,” long-ago relationship with “The a woman that he February 8, the telecom regulator ruled tell you whathis has enough money “to buy new wife Anita, who has just it is,” said Godwin. says, “was to make off thewithin people these who engaged in against had once broken walls. The differential pricing, debarring telethings without asking for perbeen critical famStill, banning oropenly blocking sites, of as the Indifrivolous comparisons of doffs atrocities seem Coffee House section also its hat to anlike ol- com operators from offering slices of the in- an government mission or informing anyone or ily’shas dubious behaviour, he says, been in the past eager to they weren’t thinking.” der, less cluttered Bangalore — a quick gesture ternet at different prices. even thinking about it.”

“I didn’t knowa how to make her see relado, is hardly solution.

“I won’t say the there is It isisgenerally understood that when one of that one of Shanbhag’s few concessions to Godwin doesn’t see telling, net neutrality and dif- never But in Shanbhag’s these changes, tionships in our family from theGodwin, inside. There an argument for it,” said pausthe arguers is falling back on the Nazis as rhet- ferential obvious big-picture-ness. mutually “I ing that couldpricing have ledas to an increaseexclusive. in individuwas ano other way say to comprehend them.”

It is beat, “I will that I have never heard orical shorthand, that as person is starting to think The theme continues the narrative comes some forms [of differential pricing]to area one al freedom, lead instead to dissolution, an ominous in this political moment, that wasthought any good.” lose argument. into the its own: the generous two-storey house in potentially good and some arecentury poten- but it is tempting to think of the family here as state of normlessness that forms the 19th dorefor is a the Mumbai-based journalist “It certainly means one the arguers has which the narrator and hisoffamily now live is tially bad,” he said. “And regulator has to bhavya French sociologist EmiletheDurkheim called a metaphor nation, and this new com-

Securing the Everythingfuture is illuminated internet’s

Mike whocraft proposed the eponymous law about VivekGodwin, Shanbhag’s is so good that it’s practically invisible. His novel is a disconcerting, online threads, aboutofnet deeplydiscussion affecting read aboutspeaks the decay oneneutrality, family’s moral certainty differential pricing and why no government is likely to oppose stricter surveillance measures

Ghachar Ghochar Vivek Shanbhag, Srinath Perur (tr.)

Harper Perennial Fiction ₹399

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Spooked!

Confessions of a horror film addict reveal that the obsession stems from the love of being challenged and emerging victorious

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mong my earliest childhood me- the local video store, often staying up until mories are those of watching scary first light, sleep-deprived and scared out of my TV programmes that featured wits. I was completely taken by the visceral rewitches, holding my hands before pulsiveness of David Cronenberg, who around my face, peeking through fingers at the black- that time remade the 1950s cult classic The Fly, and-white screen. But to see big-screen horror with Jeff Goldblum as the mad scientist who in cinema halls was an A-rated pleasure, so as a accidentally mixes his own genes with that of kid I spent my pocket money on a fly. Dario Argento, the Italian dicomics featuring graphic illusrector, became another hero — trations of creepy swamp monespecially after I saw his surreal sters instead.

Suspiria about modern-day Horror was a lot of My proper initiation came witches, which brought back fun when it focused when I was about 20 and a film memories of childhood terrors. I on suspense, as in scholar at the local university was so depraved I felt The Texas Hitchcock’s Psycho lent me a VCP (videocassette Chainsaw Massacre was a meditaand The Birds player) and a collection of grainy tion on the harmfulness of nonVHS (video home system) tapes vegetarianism and therefore I of the best films ever made — acsaw all the cannibal movies ever cording to him. These were Gemade, never mind that they all orge Romero’s 1960s ultra-low budget Night of ended up with the actors being cooked. The the Living Dead, the HP Lovecraft adaptation Re- discovery of gore gems such as Bad Taste and Animator, and the first of the Evil Dead movies Braindead — early low-budget work by Peter directed by Sam Raimi (who later became Jackson, who much later gained respectability more famous thanks to his big-budget Spider- by helming the epic The Lord of the Rings — man productions). The latter two date from made me ecstatic. the 1980s, which was a great era for horror as Horror was a lot of fun when it focused on well as the decade when I came of age. suspense, as in Hitchcock’s Psycho and The From then on, I kept renting horror from Birds. The genre classics were well-made cine-

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ma: take Rosemary’s Baby by Roman Polanski More but not merrier was doing enjoying a bucket of popcorn ting it has been for me, as a Malayali bornwhile and or Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. A good movie I developed a particular preference for zom- brought before my some to actor was being dismemupeyes in Delhi, constantly hear stupid can work as a social commentary — such as bies, mesmerised by the earnestness of 28 questions bered on the flat seemingly screen as ketchup sprayed all from educated people.

Doghouse, a British zom-com (zombie come- Days Later and the comical British takes on the “Are over you the astudio.

I felt…depressed.

Madrasi?”

“AishwaryaThe Rai same is so dy) which explores machismo by pitting a genre like Shaun of the Dead (the title punned fair, tropes were by greedy prohow can being she berecycled south Indian?” … “You bunch of bachelors against a village full of fe- on Romero’s Dawn of the Dead). I even wrote a said ducers and filmmakers: theyou seyou areunimaginative a south Indian so what do Paranormal and Saw…were male zombies, or Wes Craven’s The People Un- zombie screenplay, which was picked up by mean quels by of saying you areActivity not a Madrasi?”

And der The Stairs about modern poverty and two film companies, though it never got be- from pointless compared to the lot freshness of the when slightly well-informed who are Saw is apexploitation. On a very cerebral level, Candy- yond the development stage with either. I aware the original movies, even that south India is though not a single state, man, nicely adapted from a short story by cele- strongly felt that the zombie was an adequate this: parently highest grossing hor“Are the youindustry’s a Malayalam?” brated author Clive Barker, explored the metaphor for modern society: brainless mon- rorAgain, franchise. when wrong a movie wasn’t there Even is nothing with beinga darker sides of urban mythology. sequel, I felt like I’d seen it Ibefore: how many sters stalking survivors in a world that has from ‘Madras’ (except that am not) or being At some point about 15 years ago, I got to turned into a death trap thanks canthere you is watch a bunch of dark-skinned.times Just as nothing wrong know the film critic Pradeep Sebastian and we to some virulent pollutant. This teens enter an abandoned house with being brilliant at mathematics, but is it watched videos together. He introduced me to genre had reached its apex in party until it to turns out that the not silly for atowhite American assume the creepiness of Japanese horror, eerie mo- 2002 with Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever, attic is infested with all what IndianI kidsbasement are great or at maths?

A stereotype I asked myself vies such as Ringu, which was remade in Holly- which was so realistic that I demons, zombies is a stereotype, however positiveorit slasher may be.killwas doing enjoying a wood as the global hit The Ring, with Naomi couldn’t imagine anything ers?

How often have we seen Sadly, most of Bollywood remains disinterbucket of popcorn Watts starring as a journalist who digs out the more sublime. Then a sequel somebody on a long-haul drive in portraying multi-culturalism realistiwhile beforeested my eyes truth behind a murderous videocassette. The was made and ruined it for me. I some actor was take wrong turnreality. on a desolate callybeing although it isa the Indian Sixteen mind-bending, menacing atmosphere of started to get critical about the only the to be chased by years into theside-road 21st century, inclusion of a dismembered these exotic films — others, such as The Grudge exploitative nature of horror. maniac hitchhiker or non-Mahacheck into non-Hindu, non-north Indian or and Dark Water, were remade in Hollywood Many of the American movies a motel in runa by drooling cannirashtrian character mainstream, comaround that time — gave me new highs and al- spawned innumerable sequels Why doengineered characters in these mercial filmbals? is usually with a so led me to watch Hong Kong, Thai and Ko- and, being an addict, I still confilms act as if they’ve never seen a pointed purpose. rean horror. tinued to buy them all — Scream 1, Scream 2, horror flick themselves — it takes themorforever Muslims?

Explanation: secularism lately, When Ram Gopal Varma invested in Indian Scream 3, Scream 4…, Hostel 1, Hostel 2, Hostel terrorism. to grasp the obvious, such as the fact that the horror, I was on the front bench in the cinema 3…, Wrong Turn 1, Wrong Turn 2…, The Hills weirdly cadaver who is coming Parsis, staggering Gujaratis? Explanation: comic relief. hall watching Bhoot, Vaastu Shastra s and Dar- Have Eyes 1… I binged, watching two or three closer and closer is out for a biteand/or of human Sikhs?

Explanation: secularism comna Mana Hai. Vikram Bhatt was another great back-to-back. It did occur to me that I probably ic takeaway. relief.

Indian horror director I picked up DVDs of. required psychiatric help if I needed my brain Four years back, when Shakun Batra named True to formula Saif Ali Khan in a zom-com, Go Goa Gone, was a cells to get rattled on a nightly basis by scenes the leading lady of his first film, Ek Main Aur total blast and I also had good fun watching of extreme perversion and cruelty. Days when Ekk Another thing Riana I realised was how punctual Tu (EMAET) Braganza, he recalls bePunjabi by nature Though Punjabis have for decades dominated the Hindi film industry, the community has been inexorably 6-5=2. Another the Kannada ghost movie I didn’tcaricatured have a new horror DVD to load into my ing horrors were — 99 perindustry cent of all films randoes like asked by several folk, “Why friend introduced me to vintage Pakistani hor- player — by then the VCP and grainy black-and- the clockwork. a suspenseful heroineThere needistoalways be Goan Catholic?” teasRearor, which piqued my curiosity as I had no clue white 14” had been replaced by a state-of-the- son: er sequence at did the start.

Then, following a slow his script not typecast her as a quasiFILM FATALE that there had been a stylish remake of Dracu- art 5.1 home theatre system — felt impossibly foreign, build-up,skimpily if you keep your sexually eyes on the clock dressed, available la in Urdu, Zinda Laash, also known in English dull and long. you willdancer, observesecretary that exactly 30 minutes in, cabaret or gangster’s moll as Living Corpse.

Suddenly, one night, I asked myself what I who the monster puts speak in a first appearance. could barely English, which Unfailis how ingly!Christian Another climactic scene comes at the most women were once portrayed halfway or 45 minutes into a typical 90by Hindimark cinema. minute feature (or at 40 if it is characters 80 minutes): Bollywood dropped Christian in there’s a brief as thesocially maniacacceptable seems to the 1990s, whenrelief it became have gone away,heroines or the protagonists experito dress Hindu in small outfits, get ence some form of control, justthem moments bethem to dance sexily and make sexually fore it dawns them that have active before on marriage.

It istheir not troubles the Christian barely begun. about 60 minutes, theHindi killer stereotype thatAthas disappeared from himself (that is wounded or a monster is put down, cinema would have been a cause for celebut the respite is short-lived as the horrors rebration); what has disappeared is the commuturn itself. with force.

At the end, assaying the last survivor nity It goes without then that heaves aatypical sigh and the sun is about to rise, EMAET’s Riana seemed pointless to there’s a final shock that suggests that it isn’t Bollywood in 2012. over — no,critics there will be a sequel.

Some slammed Chennai Express This for is the rough formula for mass-pro(2013) caricaturing south Indians.

Me? I duced scary to films. thisOTT, becomes was relieved see it.Once If it was it was clear, equianna mm magine a Hindi film revolving around a bly caricatured by Hindi cinema, with Sikhs tably the scariness dwindles as we realise everyso with all its characters; it didthat not revive vetticad Punjabi family, with not a Bhangra in getting the worst of it. A foreign viewer of this the thing we see on‘Madrasi’ screen has been calculated by nauseating cartoon from an earsight. Imagine a Hindi film set in Tamil fare is likely to assume that all Punjabis are lier the producers to make into adrenaline adera, exemplified by us Mehmood in Padosan Nadu, with not an “aiyyaiyo” or an oily- loud, boisterous, unsophisticated, prone to (1968); dicts. Inand order to analyse my mental condiit did not laugh at anyone, it haired, clownish ‘Madrasi’ prancing around dancing the Bhangra at the drop of a hat and laughed tion, I turned a couple of filmmakers with. to Besides, it got north Indiaand to Cold Norway has also emerged as an interesting modern horror factory — Nazi zombies thawed out in theplay vicinity. punctuating their speech withare the exclamatowatch a supposedly Hindi film replete with Taof the permafrost in Dead Actually, imagine a Snow Hindi film set in Tamil ry “balle balle”. mil dialogues — without subtitles!

Nadu where a song and dance is not made “What’s wrong with the Bhangra and balle In any case, clichés can only be born of reabout the setting, but it just happens to be balle?” is the most common response to this peated, repetitive portrayals. With south Indiwhat it is because — believe it or not! — Tamil criticism. Answer: nothing ans, the problem now is Nadu is in India. wrong at all. But a stereotype is a exclusion. Like Dalits, people of If you have watched Shakun Batra’s Kapoor stereotype even if it is not negathe Northeast and Christians, & Sons (Since 1921), you need not strain your tive, because it ignores the hetsoutherners too have now virA stereotype is a imagination because all these elements — rare erogeneity inherent in all tually disappeared from mainstereotype, however though they are in Bollywood — converge on communities. When perpetuatstream Bollywood films. It is positive it may be this one canvas. The film has received glowing ed long enough, it can also be hard to decide which is worse: reviews, audience acclaim and excellent open- annoyingly reductive to those at absence or a trite presence? ing collections. Hopefully, its success will be a the receiving end, even when acIt is only fair to state here that message to the rest of the film industry, that companied by goodwill.

Bollywood is not the only Indian viewers are open to an unexaggerated depicUnfortunately, most of us do film industry guilty of such tion of the multi-cultural Indian reality served not see this until we are at that receiving end. crimes. Discussing the misrepresentation of in an intelligently entertaining package.

A Malayali friend once told me of how he north Indians by south Indian cinema, for inThere are two issues at hand here: first, the called out, “Oye Sardarji, ki haal hai? Balle balle!” stance, would require more space than is stereotyping of certain communities on when he passed a Sikh gentleman on a Thiru- available here. Try convincing a ‘Madrasi’ filmscreen; second, exclusion. vananthapuram street. “They are jolly people, maker of that though.

Though Punjabis have for decades dominat- you know,” he said with evident warmth. All I ed the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry aka could think of though was that he sees Sikhs anna mm vetticad is the author of The Adventures an Intrepid FilmPsycho, Critic t@annavetticad Bollywood, community beenThe inexoraas “they”, not one among “us”; and how irrita- of Hit a nerve Athe scene from Stanleyhas Kubrick’s Shining special arrangement Heart in mouth a Hitchcock classic

Q R

Wherefore art thou, ‘Madrasis’?

The non-caricatured portrayal of Punjabis and Tamil Nadu in Kapoor & Sons is unusual in a Bollywood otherwise ridden by community stereotypes if not exclusions

I

Q R

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saturday, march 26, 2016

of the Body Snatchers (the version starring Donald Sutherland) and The Exorcist again and again, admits that he has never wanted to examine closely why he likes being scared by horror. “Perhaps because I felt if I understood what scared me, or why the genre has such a grip on me, the experience of watching them may diminish. And I didn’t want that. I wanted to go on being properly frightened.”

Another critic, cinema scholar and frequent film award jury member, MK Raghavendra, does have answers to why people like me become addicted to horror: “I would say that it is the resistance we offer to the domesticating pressures of everyday life. We imagine ourselves in genuine danger from agencies we have no control over. We experience the thrill that a zoo animal might feel when released inCut up Re-animator, a 1985 science fiction horror film to the wild. It is frightened, but that fear is tinged with freedom of some kind. It is the sense of the threatening unknown confronting us that is most important.”

Horror movies challenge people, and the act of watching them becomes a feat. Viewers are tested, but always emerge victorious.

Raghavendra ranks Cronenberg as perhaps the best horror filmmaker, naming cult classics such as Shivers, Rabid, Scanners and The Brood. Incidentally, watching The Brood on a videocassette some 30 years ago was a seminal moment in my personal development into a horror addict. Now I’m beginning to see what was going on. What is it that Cronenberg’s Gender bender Kareena Kapoor Khan in a still from R Balki’s Ki & Ka, a film that challenges normative gender roles films, and other great horror films, teach us?

“In The Brood, it is the fear of our own incapacity to keep our powers under check. What would happen if our hates were given immediate manifestation? Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers makes us sense the threats to individuality and individual identity. Obviously, all horror films are not equal because the fears they draw upon are not the same. The best make us She walks in fear Naomi Watts in The Ring, a 2002 film star movies aware of fears we have been unaware of. Bad horror films draw on our fear of the dark or being alone in a strange place, which are very critics. Piyush Jha, director of King of Bolly- belt, says: “I do love horror movies inordinate- ordinary fears. The greatest horror films idenwood and Sikandar, is also a crime novelist ly. Why and how horror does whatever it does tify new fears,” Raghavendra explains.

Raakshas is to areena Khan has appeared whose latest serialKapoor killer thriller us is primal, mysterious and thus fascinatAnd so I go onhas watching horror discover forefront, playing an ambitious career-womA career that lasted 16 years to has taught being adapted for the big most screen. in some of the successful Bol- ing.

It is aalso surely cathartic, sado-masochisfears I may be ablesuccess to develop, try, an with stay-at-home husband.

“I identified new her to be that detached from and but failure.

He says: lywood “In my releases opinion in horror films areina tic recent years, and to beshe’s discerning, focusing on great with myfunny.” character because today, whether it is these Khan days, says that as passionate about makExorcist, world, which directors great way to exerciseBajrangi if you don’t like to(2015), go to journalism, cluding Bhaijaan The 1970s acting demon or flick and quality cinema.

Therefore, I detheThe corporate ing movies today as she was during her debut Prejudice ZomBhashyam a the sleepless weekit’safter the gym.

While the watching, we’re which smashed box office withtransported collections gave to watch women are leading pack. And fine ifhea cide film,not Refugee, butPride nowand insists on a and work-life But Google horror,pictures which has been to it as a kid at a theatre inahis homeinto a world a physical effect on critics us, in- watched upwards of that ₹300has crore.

Yet, fans and man wants to sit at home, cook up meal and bies. balance. of her andpulped Saif, and by find Hollywood’s formulas, is lately being Bengaluru, remains his all-time favou- death creases ourbeen heart rate and makes us choicsweat town alike have disappointed with her doesn’t have ambition.

Genuine love should all you’ll are photos of the fabulously stylfrom unlikely directions.

Heabout even felt hisbalance,” bed shake night and rejuvenated with anticipation during the suspenseful sec- rite. es. Though part of money-spinners — Bodynot be bank shethat says.

The film ish couple traipsing in and out of airports, haslocations. produced gems Deccan winter ap- ‘strilling, pull- catching flightsAustralia tions. horror others is a cheap way to bust the guard,Watching 3 Idiots, among — Khan herself has chilly a catchy tagline thatair goes, to exotic “Now debusuchSometimes as The Babadook to be extra-sharp in the our Also,toif do youinwatch together with a peared hadstress. very little theseitmale-dominated ing — same thing’. We see the man of the that’s too much. we are(by actually tant but director Kent), It was by only laterKapoor that — cook and travelling for work, woman, it is way to get herhave into finalyour bedroom. films. This, at aa great time when actresses house — played Arjun peopleJennifer think we are on Wolf Creek 100 Bloody understood a terrific arms.

Thetofear and shocks at least get her he ly begun headline films, will and with encouragclean, and ask hiswhat wife for money holiday,” sheand laughs.

“We areAcres very Bad horror films draw — a witty line inpeople the latter is spoWilliam to yourtoo. hand.” inggrab results Khan is aware of the chatter director to run the house.Friedkin After a was long hard-working and we on our fear of the dark kenwhat by a man who grinds down he used craft I make a mental notethat to try that lastoftrick around her.

She admits she’s guilty the and day how at work, he the takes offwith her love we do.

But yes, there’s or being alone in a Omen, the occasional trafficmy victim in — Bhashyam loves sometime. include charge, butJha’s isn’tfavourites too rattled by it. The “Maybe in great shoes effect and rubs her feet. “Everywork and then there’s downstrangecharacter place... The Khan’s in The LetIThe Righttake Oneup In (the latter to his which organic manure quote said the Shining, last twoand years didn’t too many body talkswhat aboutFriedkin doing sometime, I need.

I hatefactory: packed greatest horror films the film has a clearis an innovative Swedish takeand on the vampire “We’re notIpsychos, his own movie: “You takeis roles because I was married I wanted to about thing different, but this really schedules. need towe’re readsmall and identify new fears cut career plan TheA film Exorcist whata direcyou theme), theypeople combine and from business operators.” settle mybecause house. But werechills behaving different. is always travel as well.” worked out to it.” scares food thought.

Similar work stories like it’swith my (non-vegetarian) last film. I’m going tofor work for 25 bring tor’s personality.

Balki’s spoken Between and may travel,have she Bhashyam, currently He adds: “I personally feel thatshe excessive beencatch doneup before, butashere the years more.

Age is no barrier,” says. gore about gender who role is reversal in a does on films well.

“I a thriller “on an unis aThe turn-off, filmmakers revel developing characters richer the livingalthough room of some her Bandra apartment sweet, fun and loving way.

Peowatched Tanuare Weds Manuand Returns, subject”, thatwith he has written a films expandwhich in For example, a killing by a knife is usual the limited of the hasit.life-size paintings, artworks, books,stab vinyl ple will really confides fall in love I loved.framework That’s my kind of of horrorshe screenplays but keeps them jaded more chilling shown as aBehind suggestive act offhorror. records and a if study table. the sofa on bunch the characters,” says. film. Imass-market liked Piku too and I’m going to watch hidden away. For, as film he points “The Neerja camera, than is when shown asseated an actual acther of safely Norway hasshe also emerged as an which Khan comfortably with Khan’s character in the has a out, clear-cut soon,” adds.

She says it isinteresting encouragis that alsoout. has, perhaps, the high- modern the going the body and blood spurtfactory Nazi zombies are legsknife folded, is ainto massive painting that eats up fact career planhorror chalked “I’m a marketing ing to seehorror so many films—written for women, percentage of years mediocrity genre thawed ing out. The best filmmakers exercise caution. out want of thetopermafrost in Dead an entire wall.

“This just arrived two days ago. est manager.

In two I’ll beamongst vice-president, but doesn’t read too much intoSnow, it. “If Cold Prey and Manhunt are films It is difficult pullwith these stories off seThe subtext artist of every filmAri is Lankwhat movies.

It is underlying by an international called and then CEO,” she to says confidence.

In while one heroine-oriented film works, you’llwhere see 25 harshThat’s but haunting landscape There are, ofKhan course, ridiculous num- the the peopleallshould taking away and in. That’s I know.beAll this belongs to not Saif just (Ali riously. her real-life career, hates to plan ahead. of them. how theNorwegian industry works,” she utilised as aEither backdrop stories thatnothing pit the of Indian horror horribly aKhan). hedonistic He’s sensation.” done an art history course and bers “I don’t know what I’mmovies doing that next,are and I like it is says wistfully. way,to she’s certain against the wild. unintentionally.

That’s Filmshe’s thatunwinding, Jha dismisses “pure when heassits andAmerican watches entertaining, that way. I’m listening to scripts, butperhaps I’m not urban can stop her from acting for as long as she Friday In short, characters perish on reason why I have postponed the pleases. mindless gore-fest fare” documentaries on slasher paintings allinclude day,” she says, the liking anything,” she forever says. When Balki was “I love my workcontinue so much.to There’s a fire Scream the 13th, on butwill horror cinema appears immortal. to make a horror myself.” sipping greenand tea.I Know What You Did Last need reading out the scriptmovie of Ki & Ka to her, she screen, in me that always be there.

I’ve been workSummer.

Khan is a couple of weeks away from the re- stopped him halfway and said she wasn’t in- ing since I was 18 and I want to work till I’m Within, without is a part-time travel writer and part-time Meanwhile, Srinivas a film lease of her next film, KiBhashyam, & Ka, directed

by RbuffBal- terested in hearing the entire story. “I’ve al- zac 80,”o’yeah she says. turned-Bollywood filmmaker withher comedies cinema guru, the critic Pradeep Sebastian, detective novelist, based in Bengaluru. His latest novel is ki. For those complaining about lack of My ways gone by my gut,” she smiles.

“Sometimes Hari, a Hero for Hire Paisa Vasool Lovefilm Khichdi his who Rosemary’s Invasion mohini chaudhuri like loves substantial roles, and in this Khanunder is in the it fails.

Butto it’swatch okay, that is a partBaby, of the job.”

Role reversal

Long criticised for doing little in male-dominated films, Kareena Kapoor Khan returns in her next as an ambitious career-woman with a stay-at-home husband

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As long as it lasts Nearly 900 textile units in Sanganer were ordered to close down as their untreated chemical discharge was harming water bodies and crops

Out of colour Sanganer’s block-print units are dying a slow death

S

tanding waist-deep in water containing a dangerous cocktail of chemicals, a group of workers toil round-theclock to wash and dry beautiful, ethnic hand-block printed fabric.

This is the scene in almost every textile unit in Sanganer, a town on the outskirts of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.

Only a few such factories remain in the town now, as most others have moved to Bagru, also in the same district, or elsewhere, following a High Court order last year. The verdict forced the Rajasthan State Pollution

Control Board to issue closure notices to 893 textile units for failing to install a common efuent treatment plant. The factories were reported to have discharged 17-18 million litres a day of untreated effluents into the Dravyawati river, affecting the health of villagers and crops in the area.

The future of the workers in the few remaining factories hangs in the balance. Very soon they will have to choose between leaving Sanganer and switching to other jobs. kamal narang

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The eyes have it Most worker families in Sanganer have moved to Bagru, another textile town in the same district

Yard by yard Inside one of the few remaining units in Sanganer

Building blocks Making patterns on a cotton bedspread

Dry run The ďŹ rst phase of printing is followed by drying of the fabric

Toxic ow The textile units have been accused of discharging untreated effluents into rivers

Waste capital The untreated water from the block-print factories affect crops in the surrounding villages

Hand to mouth The textile workers are in close contact with hazardous chemicals

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14 10

ma: take Rosemary’s Baby by Roman Polanski More but not merrier was enjoying a bucket of popcorn while tingdoing it has been for me, as a Malayali born and or Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. A good movie I developed a particular preference for zom- before my some to actor was being dismembrought upeyes in Delhi, constantly hear stupid can work as a social commentary — such as bies, mesmerised by the earnestness of 28 bered on the flat screen as ketchup sprayed all questions from seemingly educated people.

Doghouse, a British zom-com (zombie come- Days Later and the comical British takes on the over the astudio.

I felt…depressed.

“Are you Madrasi?”

“AishwaryaThe Rai same is so dy) which explores machismo by pitting a genre like Shaun of the Dead (the title punned tropes were by greedy profair, how canbeing she berecycled south Indian?” … “You bunch of bachelors against a village full of fe- on Romero’s Dawn of the Dead). I even wrote a ducers and filmmakers: theyou sesaid you areunimaginative a south Indian so what do Paranormal and Saw…were male zombies, or Wes Craven’s The People Un- zombie screenplay, which was picked up by quels of saying mean by you areActivity not a Madrasi?”

And der The Stairs about modern poverty and two film companies, though it never got be- pointless compared to the freshness of from the when slightly well-informed lot who are Saw is apexploitation. On a very cerebral level, Candy- yond the development stage with either. I the original movies, even aware that south India is though not a single state, man, nicely adapted from a short story by cele- strongly felt that the zombie was an adequate parently highest grossing horthis: “Are the youindustry’s a Malayalam?” brated author Clive Barker, explored the metaphor for modern society: brainless mon- rorAgain, franchise. when wrong a movie wasn’t there Even is nothing with beinga darker sides of urban mythology.

I felt like I’d seen it Ibefore: how many sters stalking survivors in a world that has sequel, from ‘Madras’ (except that am not) or being At some point about 15 years ago, I got to turned into a death trap thanks canthere you is watch a bunch of dark-skinned.times Just as nothing wrong know the film critic Pradeep Sebastian and we to some virulent pollutant. This teens enter an abandoned house with being brilliant at mathematics, but is it watched videos together. He introduced me to genre had reached its apex in partyAmerican until it to turns out that the not silly for atowhite assume the creepiness of Japanese horror, eerie mo- 2002 with Eli Roth’s Cabin Fever, is infested with allwhat IndianI kidsbasement are greator at attic maths?

A stereotype I asked myself vies such as Ringu, which was remade in Holly- which was so realistic that I demons, zombies is a stereotype, however positiveoritslasher may be.killwas doing enjoying a wood as the global hit The Ring, with Naomi couldn’t imagine anything ers?

How often have we seen Sadly, most of Bollywood remains disinterbucket of popcorn Watts starring as a journalist who digs out the more sublime. Then a sequel somebody on a long-haul drive in portraying multi-culturalism realistiwhile beforeested my eyes truth behind a murderous videocassette. The was made and ruined it for me. I some actor was take a wrong turnreality. on a desolate callybeing although it is the Indian Sixteen mind-bending, menacing atmosphere of started to get critical about the side-road only the to be chased by years into the 21st century, inclusion of a dismembered these exotic films — others, such as The Grudge exploitative nature of horror. maniac hitchhiker or non-Mahacheck into non-Hindu, non-north Indian or and Dark Water, were remade in Hollywood Many of the American movies a motel in runa by drooling cannirashtrian character mainstream, comaround that time — gave me new highs and al- spawned innumerable sequels Why doengineered characters inwith thesea mercial filmbals? is usually so led me to watch Hong Kong, Thai and Ko- and, being an addict, I still confilms act as if they’ve never seen a pointed purpose. rean horror. tinued to buy them all — Scream 1, Scream 2, horror flick themselves — itsecularism takes themorforever Muslims?

Explanation: lately, When Ram Gopal Varma invested in Indian Scream 3, Scream 4…, Hostel 1, Hostel 2, Hostel to grasp the obvious, such as the fact that the terrorism. horror, I was on the front bench in the cinema 3…, Wrong Turn 1, Wrong Turn 2…, The Hills weirdly cadaver whocomic is coming Parsis,staggering Gujaratis? Explanation: relief. hall watching Bhoot, Vaastu Shastra s and Dar- Have Eyes 1… I binged, watching two or three closer and closer is out for a biteand/or of human Sikhs?

Explanation: secularism comna Mana Hai. Vikram Bhatt was another great back-to-back. It did occur to me that I probably takeaway. ic relief.

Indian horror director I picked up DVDs of. required psychiatric help if I needed my brain Four years back, when Shakun Batra named to formula Saif Ali Khan in a zom-com, Go Goa Gone, was a cells to get rattled on a nightly basis by scenes True the leading lady of his first film, Ek Main Aur total blast and I also had good fun watching of extreme perversion and cruelty. Days when Another thing Riana I realised was how punctual Ekk Tu (EMAET) Braganza, he recalls bePunjabi by nature Though Punjabis have for decades dominated the Hindi film industry, the community has been inexorably 6-5=2. Another the Kannada ghost movie I didn’tcaricatured have a new horror DVD to load into my horrors were — 99 perindustry cent of all films randoes like ing asked by several folk, “Why friend introduced me to vintage Pakistani hor- player — by then the VCP and grainy black-and- clockwork. a suspenseful the heroineThere needistoalways be Goan Catholic?” teasRearor, which piqued my curiosity as I had no clue white 14” had been replaced by a state-of-the- er sequence at the Then, following slow son: his script did start. not typecast her as a aquasiFILM FATALE that there had been a stylish remake of Dracu- art 5.1 home theatre system — felt impossibly build-up, if you keep your sexually eyes on the clock foreign, skimpily dressed, available la in Urdu, Zinda Laash, also known in English dull and long. you willdancer, observesecretary that exactly 30 minutes in, cabaret or gangster’s moll as Living Corpse.

Suddenly, one night, I asked myself what I the puts in a first appearance. whomonster could barely speak English, which Unfailis how ingly!

Another climactic scene comes at the most Christian women were once portrayed halfway or 45 minutes into a typical 90by Hindimark cinema. minute feature (or at 40 if it is characters 80 minutes): Bollywood dropped Christian in there’s a brief as thesocially maniacacceptable seems to the 1990s, whenrelief it became have gone away,heroines or the protagonists experito dress Hindu in small outfits, get ence form of control, justthem moments bethemsome to dance sexily and make sexually fore it dawns them that have active before on marriage.

It istheir not troubles the Christian barely begun. about 60 minutes, the Hindi killer stereotype thatAthas disappeared from himself is wounded or a monster is putfor down, cinema (that would have been a cause celebut the respite is short-lived as the horrors rebration); what has disappeared is the commuturn with force.

At the end, assaying the lastthen survivor nity itself.

It goes without that heaves sigh andRiana the sun is about to rise, EMAET’saatypical seemed pointless to there’s a final shock that suggests that it isn’t Bollywood in 2012. over — no,critics there will be a sequel.

Some slammed Chennai Express This for is the rough formula for mass-pro(2013) caricaturing south Indians.

Me? I duced scary to films. thisOTT, becomes was relieved see it.Once If it was it was clear, equianna mm magine a Hindi film revolving around a bly caricatured by Hindi cinema, with Sikhs the scariness dwindles as we realise everytably so with all its characters; it didthat not revive vetticad Punjabi family, with not a Bhangra in getting the worst of it. A foreign viewer of this thing we see on‘Madrasi’ screen has been calculated by the nauseating cartoon from an earsight. Imagine a Hindi film set in Tamil fare is likely to assume that all Punjabis are the to make into adrenaline adlier producers era, exemplified by us Mehmood in Padosan Nadu, with not an “aiyyaiyo” or an oily- loud, boisterous, unsophisticated, prone to dicts. order to analyse my mental condi(1968);Inand it did not laugh at anyone, it haired, clownish ‘Madrasi’ prancing around dancing the Bhangra at the drop of a hat and tion, I turned a couple of filmmakers laughed with. to Besides, it got north Indiaand to Cold Norway has also emerged as an interesting modern horror factory — Nazi zombies thawed out in theplay vicinity. punctuating their speech withare the exclamatowatch a supposedly Hindi film replete with Taof the permafrost in Dead Actually, imagine a Snow Hindi film set in Tamil ry “balle balle”. mil dialogues — without subtitles!

Nadu where a song and dance is not made “What’s wrong with the Bhangra and balle In any case, clichés can only be born of reabout the setting, but it just happens to be balle?” is the most common response to this peated, repetitive portrayals. With south Indiwhat it is because — believe it or not! — Tamil criticism. Answer: nothing ans, the problem now is Nadu is in India. wrong at all. But a stereotype is a exclusion. Like Dalits, people of If you have watched Shakun Batra’s Kapoor stereotype even if it is not negathe Northeast and Christians, & Sons (Since 1921), you need not strain your tive, because it ignores the hetsoutherners too have now virA stereotype is a imagination because all these elements — rare erogeneity inherent in all tually disappeared from mainstereotype, however though they are in Bollywood — converge on communities. When perpetuatstream Bollywood films. It is positive it may be this one canvas. The film has received glowing ed long enough, it can also be hard to decide which is worse: reviews, audience acclaim and excellent open- annoyingly reductive to those at absence or a trite presence? ing collections. Hopefully, its success will be a the receiving end, even when acIt is only fair to state here that message to the rest of the film industry, that companied by goodwill.

Bollywood is not the only Indian viewers are open to an unexaggerated depicUnfortunately, most of us do film industry guilty of such tion of the multi-cultural Indian reality served not see this until we are at that receiving end. crimes. Discussing the misrepresentation of in an intelligently entertaining package.

A Malayali friend once told me of how he north Indians by south Indian cinema, for inThere are two issues at hand here: first, the called out, “Oye Sardarji, ki haal hai? Balle balle!” stance, would require more space than is stereotyping of certain communities on when he passed a Sikh gentleman on a Thiru- available here. Try convincing a ‘Madrasi’ filmscreen; second, exclusion. vananthapuram street. “They are jolly people, maker of that though.

Though Punjabis have for decades dominat- you know,” he said with evident warmth. All I ed the Mumbai-based Hindi film industry aka could think of though was that he sees Sikhs anna mm vetticad is the author of The Adventures an Intrepid FilmPsycho, Critic t@annavetticad Bollywood, community beenThe inexoraas “they”, not one among “us”; and how irrita- of Hit a nerve Athe scene from Stanleyhas Kubrick’s Shining special arrangement Heart in mouth a Hitchcock classic

Q R

Wherefore art thou, ‘Madrasis’?

The non-caricatured portrayal of Punjabis and Tamil Nadu in Kapoor & Sons is unusual in a Bollywood otherwise ridden by community stereotypes if not exclusions

I

Q R

ND-X _ A

BL

watch cover

saturday, march 26, 2016

of the Body Snatchers (the version starring Donald Sutherland) and The Exorcist again and again, admits that he has never wanted to examine closely why he likes being scared by horror. “Perhaps because I felt if I understood what scared me, or why the genre has such a grip on me, the experience of watching them may diminish. And I didn’t want that. I wanted to go on being properly frightened.”

Another critic, cinema scholar and frequent film award jury member, MK Raghavendra, does have answers to why people like me become addicted to horror: “I would say that it is the resistance we offer to the domesticating pressures of everyday life. We imagine ourselves in genuine danger from agencies we have no control over. We experience the thrill that a zoo animal might feel when released inCut up Re-animator, a 1985 science fiction horror film to the wild. It is frightened, but that fear is tinged with freedom of some kind. It is the sense of the threatening unknown confronting us that is most important.”

Horror movies challenge people, and the act of watching them becomes a feat. Viewers are tested, but always emerge victorious.

Raghavendra ranks Cronenberg as perhaps the best horror filmmaker, naming cult classics such as Shivers, Rabid, Scanners and The Brood. Incidentally, watching The Brood on a videocassette some 30 years ago was a seminal moment in my personal development into a horror addict. Now I’m beginning to see what was going on. What is it that Cronenberg’s Gender bender Kareena Kapoor Khan in a still from R Balki’s Ki & Ka, a film that challenges normative gender roles films, and other great horror films, teach us?

“In The Brood, it is the fear of our own incapacity to keep our powers under check. What would happen if our hates were given immediate manifestation? Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers makes us sense the threats to individuality and individual identity. Obviously, all horror films are not equal because the fears they draw upon are not the same. The best make us She walks in fear Naomi Watts in The Ring, a 2002 film star movies aware of fears we have been unaware of. Bad horror films draw on our fear of the dark or being alone in a strange place, which are very critics. Piyush Jha, director of King of Bolly- belt, says: “I do love horror movies inordinate- ordinary fears. The greatest horror films idenwood and Sikandar, is also a crime novelist ly. Why and how horror does whatever it does tify new fears,” Raghavendra explains.

Raakshas is to areena Khan has appeared whose latest serialKapoor killer thriller us is primal, mysterious and thus fascinatAnd so I go onhas watching forefront, playing an ambitious career-womA career that lasted 16horror years to hasdiscover taught being adapted for the big most screen. in some of the successful Bol- ing.

It is aalso surely cathartic, sado-masochisfears I may be able to develop, but try, an with stay-at-home husband.

“I identified new her to be that detached from success and failure.

He says: lywood “In my releases opinion in horror films arein-a tic recent years, and days,that to beshe’s discerning, focusing on great with myfunny.” character because today, whether it is these Khan says as passionate about makExorcist, world, which directors great way to exerciseBajrangi if you don’t like to(2015), go to journalism, cluding Bhaijaan The 1970s acting demon or flick and quality cinema.

Therefore, I detheThe corporate ing movies today as she was during her debut Prejudice ZomBhashyam a the sleepless week the gym.

While the watching, we’re which smashed box office withtransported collections gave to watch women are leading pack. And it’safter fine ifhea cide film,not Refugee, butPride nowand insists on a and work-life But Google horror,pictures which has been to it as a kid at a theatre inahis homeinto a world a physical effect oncritics us, in- watched upwards of that ₹300has crore.

Yet, fans and man wants to sit at home, cook up meal and bies. balance. of her andpulped Saif, and by find Hollywood’s formulas, is lately being Bengaluru, remains his all-time favou- death creases ourbeen heart rate and makes us choicsweat town alike have disappointed with her doesn’t have ambition.

Genuine love should all you’ll are photos of the fabulously stylfrom unlikely directions.

Heabout even felt hisbalance,” bed shake night and rejuvenated with anticipation during the suspenseful sec- rite. es. Though part of money-spinners — Bodynot be bank shethat says.

The film ish couple traipsing in and out of airports, haslocations. produced “Now gems Deccan winter ap-‘strilling, pull- catching flightsAustralia tions. horrorothers is a cheap way to bust the guard,Watching 3 Idiots, among — Khan herself has chilly a catchy tagline thatair goes, to exotic debusuch as The Babadook to be thing’. extra-sharp in the our Also,toifdo youinwatch together with a peared had stress. very little theseitmale-dominated ing — same We see the man of the that’s too much.

Sometimes we are(by actually tant but director Kent), It was by only laterKapoor that — cook and travelling for work, woman, it is greatwhen way to get herhave into finalyour bedroom. films. This, at a time actresses house — played Arjun peopleJennifer think we are on Wolf Creek 100 Bloody understood a terrific arms.

Thetofear and shocks will with at least get her he ly begun headline films, and encouragclean, and ask hiswhat wife for money holiday,” sheand laughs.

“We areAcres very Bad horror films draw — a witty line in the latter is spoWilliam to yourtoo. hand.” inggrab results Khan is aware of the chatter director to run the house.Friedkin After a was long hard-working people and we on our fear of the dark kenwhat by a man who down he used craft I make a mental notethat to try that lastoftrick around her.

She admits she’s guilty the and day how at work, he the takes offwith her love we do.

Butgrinds yes, there’s or being alone in a The Omen, the occasional trafficmy victim in — Bhashyam loves sometime. include charge, butJha’s isn’tfavourites too rattled by it. “Maybe in great shoes effect and rubs her feet. “Everywork and then there’s downstrangecharacter place... The Khan’s in The LetIThe Right Oneup In (the latter to his which organic manure quote said the Shining, last twoand years didn’t take too many body talkswhat aboutFriedkin doing sometime, I need.

I hatefactory: packed greatest horror films the film has a clearis an innovative Swedish takeand on the vampire “We’re notIpsychos, his own movie: “You takeis roles because I was married I wanted to about thing different, but this really schedules. need towe’re readsmall and identify new fears cut career plan TheA film Exorcist whata direcyou theme), theypeople combine and from business operators.” settle mybecause house. But werechills behaving different. is always travel as well.” worked out to it.” scares food thought.

Similar work stories like it’swith my (non-vegetarian) last film. I’m going tofor work for 25 bring tor’s personality.

Balki’s spoken Between and may travel,have she Bhashyam, currently He adds: “I personally feel thatshe excessive been doneupbefore, butashere years more.

Age is no barrier,” says. gore about gender who role is reversal in a does catch on films well.the “I a thriller “on an unis aThe turn-off, filmmakers revel developing characters richer the living although room of some her Bandra apartment sweet, fun and loving way.

Peowatched Tanuare Weds Manuand Returns, subject”, confides thatwith he has written a films expandwhich in For example, a killing by a knife is usual the limited of the hasit.life-size paintings, artworks, books,stab vinyl ple will really fall in love I loved.framework That’s my kind of of horrorshe screenplays but keeps them jaded more chilling shown as aBehind suggestive act offhorror. records and a if study table. the sofa on bunch the characters,” says. film. Imass-market liked Piku too and I’m going to watch hidden away. in For,the as film he points “The Neerja camera, than iswhen shown asseated an actual acther of safely Norway hasshe also emerged as an which Khan comfortably with Khan’s character has a out, clear-cut soon,” adds.

She says it isinteresting encouragis that alsoout. has, perhaps, the high- modern the going the body and blood spurtfactory Nazi zombies are legsknife folded, is a into massive painting that eats up fact career planhorror chalked “I’m a marketing ing to seehorror so many films—written for women, percentage of years mediocrity genre thawed ing out. The best filmmakers exercise caution. out want of thetopermafrost in Dead an entire wall.

“This just arrived two days ago. est manager.

In two I’ll be amongst vice-president, but doesn’t read too much intoSnow, it. “If Cold Prey and Manhunt are you’ll films where It is difficult pullwith these stories off seThe underlying subtext artist of every filmAri is Lankwhat movies.

It is by an international called and then CEO,” she to says confidence.

In while one heroine-oriented film works, see 25 harshThat’s but haunting landscape There are, of course, ridiculous num- the the people away and in. That’s allshould I know.beAlltaking this belongs to not Saif just (Ali riously. her real-life career, Khan hates to plan ahead. of them. how theNorwegian industry works,” she utilised as aEither backdrop stories thatnothing pit the of Indian horror aKhan). hedonistic sensation.”

He’s done an art history course and bers “I don’t know what I’mmovies doing that next,are andhorribly I like it is says wistfully. way, to she’s certain against the wild. unintentionally.

That’s Filmshe’s thatunwinding, Jha dismisses “pure when he assits andAmerican watches entertaining, that way. I’m listening to scripts, butperhaps I’m not urban can stop her from acting for as long as she In short, characters perish on reason why I have postponed the pleases. mindless gore-fest fare” documentaries on slasher paintings allinclude day,” sheFriday says, the liking anything,” she forever says. When Balki was “I love my workcontinue so much. to There’s a fire Scream the 13th, on butwill horror cinema appears immortal. to make a horror myself.” sipping greenand tea.I Know What You Did Last need reading out the scriptmovie of Ki & Ka to her, she screen, in me that always be there.

I’ve been workSummer.

Khan is a couple of weeks away from the re- stopped him halfway and said she wasn’t in- ing since I was 18 and I want to work till I’m Within, without is a part-time travel writer and part-time Meanwhile, Srinivas a film lease of her next film, KiBhashyam, & Ka, directed

by RbuffBal- terested in hearing the entire story. “I’ve al- zac 80,”o’yeah she says. turned-Bollywood filmmaker withher comedies cinema guru, the critic Pradeep Sebastian, detective novelist, based in Bengaluru. His latest novel is ki. For those complaining about lack of My ways gone by my gut,” she smiles.

“Sometimes Hari, a Hero for Hire Paisa Vasool Lovefilm Khichdi his who Rosemary’s Invasion mohini chaudhuri like loves substantial roles, and in this Khanunder is in the it fails.

Butto it’swatch okay, that is a partBaby, of the job.”

Role reversal

Long criticised for doing little in male-dominated films, Kareena Kapoor Khan returns in her next as an ambitious career-woman with a stay-at-home husband

K

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look closely and make a determination about the harms or benefits.”

Godwin has worked with the Wikimedia Foundation, which offered Wikipedia Zero for free in some countries through specific providers, as a gateway to Wikipedia. But he isn’t trying to convince you one way or the other. “[There is] an idea that there was something valuable about carriers [service providers] being neutral,” he said. “And I still think that that’s true… But the thing that changed was this: with Wikipedia, I realised it doesn’t matter if you have neutrality if nobody can afford it. Neutrality hasn’t served the people who can’t afford to pay to have the wires built up to their provinces.”

This then boils down to the fundamental question: how do we create a world that gets people connected? “It may involve cross-subsidies of various sorts, and all of these things historically have invited some degree of government regulation,” said Godwin. “The question is less ‘do you regulate or not regulate’, the question is ‘do you do it right’.”

But does Free Basics mean anything to a developing country which needs real basics first: water, sanitation, shelter? Godwin doesn’t buy into the premise that the internet is a luxury that comes after all these things.

“I think that [idea] is wrong,” he said. “Because when people can share information or resources about where the water is or what good health practices are or how to properly cultivate a crop, they help everyone else. And The oracle online Mike Godwin, director of innovation policy and general counsel at Washington DC’s R the impulse to help and share what they know Street Institute, noticed and codified a behavioural pattern among social media users r street institute is strong.”

Godwin’s first law has now been well entrenched in popular culture. But wait, he has a partha pratim sharma second one. This one goes: Surveillance is the crack cocaine of governments.

“Almost all governments want to engage in surveillance,” he said. “Some governments have disagreements with other governments over their surveillance but rarely will we see them categorically refuse to surveil.”

And yet, he says, our outrage over this is driven by an “antiquated notion of privacy” that the content of our emails or conversations should be free from prying eyes. “In the rest of the century and future centuries people will look back at this idea and laugh: that people thought that content was the important thing,” he said. Someone reading your mail isn’t the only possible violation, but whether they are accessing the whole ecosystem of o all outward appearance, Ghachar contrasted with the cramped space in which anomie.

“Appa’s hold on themetadata rest of us can slipped. your communication.

“The give Ghochar is a novel of domesticity, of he grew up: “four small rooms, one behind the And honest, we lost hold“The of ourselves, awayto thebewhole store,” he said. metadata orfamilial gravity,tyrannies. there’s Newton’s law, for in- other, But it opens (and gone tolike a higher lower level,” he said. trainorcompartments”.

The move too.” small-time salesman his painscan beThe more revealing.

Who arewith you talking to, ternet threads, closes)discussion in a space outside thethere’s home. from Godwin in India in other February as part of a takingly one was house to the is the spatial accounted-for is replaced at what time of day, for labour how long, how big at is law. Twenty-five years ago, It is as if Godwin’s it is only from that distance that thea counterpart series of totalks organised the family’s sudden rise up the the helm of the by his younger brother, thefamily message?

These are all things law have student trawling through story might a chance of being told,cyberof es- social through the Centre for Internet ladder. and by a business makes much more that canthat matter.” space noticed a recurring pattern: some caping the suffocating clutches of the at home in and Society on net neutrality.

“Everything we’d brought from the old money in a much lessnot transparent fashion.

As That’s the only thing that’s point initanisonline discussion, would which unfolding.

So wesomeone meet our un- house In early February, at worn, the Mumappeared more even unrecognis- the existingchanged. relationships between The internet has, them since have never heard invariably invokein Hitler or thespacious, Nazis. The ob- able named narrator the “airy, highbai University’s civics and poli- the “I in this new place,” observes narrator. break down, so the values had held the itsdo early days, that become a more an argument for together. servation led to an act of ‘mimetic engineer- But ceilinged” Coffee House. tics itdepartment, he was that on have a is not only objects been dis- family The weight new money is charged, moreof violent place, banning sites that ing’ — rifling discussion boards, Spaces matterthrough to Shanbhag.

He is adept at il- placed. panel with others at a disThe three people, too, seem to too much to bear. where poison, bile and abuse fly was good” pointing this and promptly naming the have lustrating howout, they shape our social selves; cussion took lostthat theiroccasionally moorings. The arAndand yetfast. the family does hold thick law after him. function as mirrors for our internal land- chitecture an agitatedof tone. the old house cretogether.

In some terrifying way, “The level of hatefulness diGodwin’s law states:for As instance, an online is discussion scapes.

Coffee House, not “one ated “[The debate] hasn’t become a certain camaraderie that it is all towards that it does.

In one of the rected women online is While it may be a grows longer, thebars probability of a comparison of your low-lit with people crammed is heated every country to the all butinlost in the new house, book’s mostbad,” devastating moparticularly he continued, parable, involving Nazisbut or aHitler one — where around tables”, placeapproaches which “makes you same degree,” said.

“In India The Ghachar everyonehehas a room to it has.” ments, the problem.” narrator voices a “It is a huge cross-cultural Ghochar thatcultured, is, the likelier this becomes. feel sophisticated” if you drink in it. themselves. public discussion hasevery been polarised, with ac- is not Where deciseeminglyproblem bland,is how throwaway Theaother enduring do you simple book Mike there, Godwin, a portly, watches white-haired gent sion Sitting the59,narrator a couple tivistsearlier vehemently had to beopposing, made as aamong other that later resobalance free thought speech rights whileseems curtailing in Harry Potterbreak-up, glasses isand bestis known for this have a public reminded of a collective things, ‘Free Basics’ a Facebook one, the —family now offering. On hate speech?nant withwere meaning.

Referring to “If there an easy answer I’d aphoristicrelationship piece of wisdom. purpose,” long-ago with a“The woman that he has February 8, the telecom regulator ruled tell you whathis enough money “to buy new wife Anita, who has just it is,” said Godwin. says,once “was to makeoff thewithin people these who engaged in things had broken walls. The against without differential pricing, debarring teleasking for perbeen critical famStill, banning oropenly blocking sites, of as the Indifrivolous comparisons of doffs atrocities Coffee House section also its hatseem to anlike ol- mission com operators from offering slices of the in- an government or informing anyone or ily’shas dubious behaviour, he says, been in the past eager to theyless weren’t thinking.” der, cluttered Bangalore — a quick gesture even ternetthinking at different prices. about it.”

“I knowa how to make her see relado,didn’t is hardly solution.

“I won’t say the there is It isisgenerally understood that when one of that one of Shanbhag’s few concessions to Godwin doesn’t see telling, net neutrality and dif- tionships But in Shanbhag’s these changes, in our family from theGodwin, inside. There never an argument for it,” said pausthe arguers is falling back on the Nazis as rhet- that obvious big-picture-ness. ferential mutually “I was couldpricing have ledas to an increaseexclusive. in individuother way say to comprehend them.”

It is ing ano beat, “I will that I have never heard orical shorthand, that as person is starting to al The theme continues the narrative comes think some forms [of differential pricing]to area an freedom, lead instead to dissolution, in this political moment, oneominous that wasthought any good.” lose the argument. into its own: the generous two-storey house in state potentially good and some forms arecentury poten- but it is tempting to think of the family here as of normlessness that the 19th dorefor is athe Mumbai-based journalist “It certainly means one the arguers has which the narrator and hisoffamily now live is French tially bad,” he said. “And regulator has to abhavya sociologist EmiletheDurkheim called metaphor nation, and this new com-

Securing the Everything is illuminated internet’s future

Mike Godwin, whocraft proposed the eponymous law about Vivek Shanbhag’s is so good that it’s practically invisible. His novel is a disconcerting, online discussion threads, aboutofnet deeply affecting read aboutspeaks the decay oneneutrality, family’s moral certainty differential pricing and why no government is likely to oppose stricter surveillance measures

Ghachar Ghochar Vivek Shanbhag, Srinath Perur (tr.)

Harper Perennial Fiction ₹399

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“The book had to be reborn in English” How did this translation of Ghachar Ghochar come about?

Publishers had been asking me to bring out a book (in translation) for some time now. But it had not been possible, more because of me rather than them. I was not keen because translation requires a lot of effort. It is as if the work had to be reborn in another language. This book took us (myself and Srinath Perur, the translator) 18 months end to end. I know Srinath for the last 4-5 years. I read his books — one is a published book and the other is something that he shared with me. He is also a fiction writer, although he has not published a book of fiction. I felt that Srinath can do this because he is deeply engaged with the language and his style of writing is such that he pays a lot of attention to smaller details. He had read the book in Kannada and liked it, so that’s how we started (the process of translation).

Spooked!

Early bloomer Vivek Shanbhag’s first story, written when he was 16, won an adult story competition

(Excerpts from aof conversation backreveal to his village, finds that there Confessions a horrorwithfilm addict thathethe Vivek Shanbhag, the author of the are some practices that they (the obsession stems from the love ofvillagers) beingdochallenged and with. novella Ghachar Ghochar) that he can’t connect He realises that he can’t even connect emerging victorious What was the first piece of fiction to his own family.

A

that you ever wrote (that still mong my earliest survives in some form)?childhood memories arestory thoseI of watching This was a short wrote whenscary I TV programmes that featured was 16 and it won a prize in an adult witches, holding hands before story competition.

It wasmy later published myin face, through fingers of at the blackmypeeking first book, a collection short and-white screen.

But to see big-screen horror stories; I was 22 by then.

theSolocal video store,ofoften staying up until it was a kind culture shock first light, sleep-deprived and scared out of my (though not in the right order)? wits.

I wasa completely takenshock. by theI visceral It was kind of culture grew uprepulsiveness of David Cronenberg, who in a small place, in a little town in around that time remade theand 1950s classic The Fly, coastal Karnataka, mycult only with Jeff Goldblum as the mad scientist experience of the city was when I wentwho in cinema halls was an A-rated pleasure, so as a accidentally mixes his own genes with that of on vacation to Bombay. For us, Bombay kidWhat I spentwas my pocket money on a fly.

Dario Argento, the Italian the story about? was the only city; Bangalore was not dicomics featuring graphic illusbecame another hero — It was about a person living in a city, or there at all.rector, So it was like this: you go to trations of creepy swamp monespecially after I saw his surreal a slightly bigger town. Upon coming college and then you go to Bombay. sters instead.

Suspiria about modern-day Horror was a lot of My proper initiation came witches, which brought back fun when it focused when I was about 20 and a film memories of childhood terrors. I on suspense, as in scholar at the local university was so depraved I felt The Texas Hitchcock’s Psycho pass that measures right and wrong Srinath Perur’s stellar translation the lent me no a longer VCP (videocassette Chainsaw Massacre was afrom meditaand The Birds — only insiders and outsiders.

Kannada both preserves the gentle observaplayer) and a collection of grainy tion on the harmfulness of nonGiven itshome powerful metaphoric qualities tional qualityvegetarianism of Shanbhag’s prose, and allowsI VHS (video system) tapes and therefore and itsbest moral heft, it is tempting brilliance shine through.

The of the films ever made — ac- to read Gha- his aphoristicsaw all the to cannibal movies ever as These a parable post-liberalisa- storyteller’s skill char Ghochar is such that you that might be encording to him. wereofGemade, never mind they all tion India.

But 1960s while ultra-low parable itbudget may be,Night this of is ended ticed into hurtling through — but thereThe is orge Romero’s up with the actors being cooked. notLiving a simple book.

Shanbhag producedRe-a discovery much hereofworth the Dead, the HP Lovecrafthas adaptation gore lingering gems suchfor. as Bad Taste and text so immaculately its craft is in- Braindead I was especially

by Shanbhag’s porAnimator, and the firstcrafted of thethat Evil Dead movies — early moved low-budget work by Peter visible, until you go looking forlater it — and dis- Jackson, trait of an arranged marriage, sweeping us up directed

by Sam Raimi (who became who much later gained respectability cover that what you thought were asidesSpiderwere by with its potential for tenderness, heamore famous thanks to his big-budget helming the epic The Lord of and the the Rings — actually clues placed for made dy, erotic sensation of surrender. And while man productions).

Thethere latterstrategically two date from me ecstatic. you 1980s, to discover. is aabook you in book has portraiton of the whichItwas greatthat era draws for horror as theHorror wasbeen a lot justly of funfeted whenasitafocused withas a the deceptively chattyI came air, and before you suspense, family and as class it isPsycho also a perspicawell decade when of age. indynamics, Hitchcock’s and The know it, then you have privy to its chilling cious account of classics our relationship to work.cineThe From on, Ibecome kept renting horror from Birds.

The genre were well-made confidences. lower middle-class family’s everyday involve-

Q R

I remember reading an article about the different translations of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka.

There were several disputed words and clauses and one of the things that made the book a difficult one to translate was the structure of the German language, with its compound words and modal verbs that impart ambiguity to phrases.

What are some of the challenges unique to translating Kannada texts?

Yes, for example, in Kannada, the verb comes at the end of the sentence, so the structure is very different from English. The second thing is that in Kannada, you can move across tenses very easily. You can leave a lot of things vague. You don’t have to definitively say things. These are the spaces that writers make use of.

The most important decisions that we had to take while translating Ghachar Ghochar had to do with tenses. In the English version, we moved a small paragraph (written in the future tense in English) from its place in the original Kannada text, because I had used past tense while writing it in Kannada. But I don’t think it affected the reading experience. aditya mani jha

ment with the work of the breadwinner (which Shanbhag, in an interview with this writer, singled out as the germ of the story) and the inseparable relationship between work and self-respect — these are powerful themes, and the novel deals with them memorably.

There is something unsparing about Shanbhag’s novel. Like Anita, it is a voice from the inside, and it insists on telling the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that telling may make us. trisha gupta is a writer and critic based in Delhi; t@chhotahazri

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COSMOPOLIS

The sacred & the historical The Murty Library was recently petitioned to drop Sheldon Pollock from its editorial board.

A truly progressive, scientific society does not privilege belief over knowledge won few converts among the chattering classes, it has struck a chord elsewhere, gaining thousands of signatures.

The petition demands that scholars recognise the “greatness of Indian civilisation.” It may be possible to arrive at an understanding of the “greatness of Indian civilisation,” but real scholarship cannot proceed from that triumphalist notion as a premise.

Tellingly, the petition insists that in the ranks of scholars attached to the Murty Classical Library, “there must be a fair representation of the lineages and traditional groups pathdoc/shutterstock that teach and practise the traditions dePAPERWALLAH scribed in the texts being translated. This would ensure that the sentiments and understanding of the millions of Indians who practise these traditions are not violated.”

What does this mean? Here, we see the dangerous mingling of the sacred and the historical, the notion that an ancient scripture’s holiness is inextricable from its academic study, that only those who believe can properly know. Indian and NRI critics often accuse Pollock and other western Indologists of not respecting the full holiness of ancient Hindu n the course of writing this paragraph, I tween a variety of coloured “chromotherapy” stop writing.

“The waycannot out is bring through” scriptures.

Since Pollock “au-their have checked Facebook twice (two new backgrounds, audio tracks to “focus your website dourly informs me.texts, “Obstructions. thentic” faith to the study of these the arnotifications, a friend request, an event mind on your words”, and keystroke sounds Not goes, options.” soundsto like the the literary gument he isThis doomed distort Facing the reminder), ‘anti-national’ fire Sheldon Pollock, a professor South Asian studies at Columbia University opened Twitter (a new follow- of to “support your every move on and the keyequivalent a nasty gym teacher who sends “true” meaningsofembedded within them. friedman/the new york times editorer of the Murty Classical Library mysteriously namedof India “ThemishaStranger”), board.” All this for a minimum of $5.11. For a I think you scholars for another seven rounds of the track should be open to traditionclicked on a link listing reviews of new bars few dollars more, there’s Hemingway, that in whenforms you can’t even finish Unlike other al pundit of learning.

Butone. scholarship, uring my in undergraduate and restaurants Delhi. For dateyears night,atdon’t I recalled ‘The Literature’ while fol- will addition to aBible clean,asstreamlined interface, writing programmes, Flowstate like other aspects of public life, should apparently be beone of the most celebrated head Yale, to Tamasha, in Connaught Place, I’m lowing theyou controversy caused the So ama(I kid not) critique your by prose. it higha sacred spacereligious for initial“senticreation, yond“features the diktat of fragile seminars was for a class called ‘Thewith Bi- the warned; “it’s really a rendezvous teurish petition unseat Sheldon Pollock, theones lights long to sentences in yellow, complex with enlisted to unleash a person’s ments” — arigid termlaws always invoked to shut down as Literature’. course gently Tinderblehook-up you’reThe never going to see American Sanskrit, as editor the in in red,scholar passiveofvoice in green, and of adverbs thoughts, feelings, and likebewater.” debate and conversation.

Weideas should able to liftedagain.” the sacred scripture from its Meanwhile, someone haspedestal emailed me Murty Classical launched blue so youLibrary. can “getThe rid petition of them and pick verbs In despair, I elicit help of a few writer study Hindu, Muslim and the Christian scriptures and examined what hamster it was, a written pictures ofit for a naked posing text with his a thousand headlines a volumi- as literature, as the with force instead.”and I ammade in awe. friends.

Some havehands installed work of human andwritthat could be analysed nimble and favourite food. TheinDictionary of surprisObscure Sornously-bearded otherwise ivo- minds, without fear (And quiteandcertain theinnocuous app ingofapps.

A few, Freedom. censure or violence (A “But ing ways. so doing, was disrespectrows In (an online nobody compendium of invented ry tower denizen a household would drive me crazy.) name in India. diversions can also within truly progressive,the scientific society doesbenot ing the billions of people consider the words written

by Johnwho Koenig) has informed I’m glad — the founder of privilege belief over For that the Rohan most Murty part, though, you,” says one philosophically. knowledge.)

Bibleme holy, who treasure alludes its talestoand seek to that that “Zenosyne” “the sense the Library — swiftly rejected claims ofMost the writer’s these writer’s apps seemthe to conAnother strain feels these apps themThereapps is an unfortunate of provincial seem topatriotism concentrate adhere to keeps its teachings.

Instead, throughwhen rig- trytime going faster.”

Especially petition and supported Pollock. centrate on sparseness — theThe keypetition’s are rejection obstructions. in this,selves the prickly of Pol-That on sparseness lock as orousing literary analysis, students explored how to meet writing deadlines, I wish to add. signees alleged groundlessly phrases being “fuss-free menus”, they’re all a step far. can “Weamust an outsider — too “What scripture howvideos. the Bible inspires so beThenworks there and are cat Videos of dogs that Pollock “has deep antipathy “lightweight tools”, “stripped onusour ownour resilience,” whitedepend man tell about hismanyfriending people around cats. the Of world. cats sleeping. Chasing towards many of the ideals and down workspace”.

Some, like iA, says.

“How?” we faintly. tory, he our religion?”

Butquery I don’t Thestring. basic principle the class is for Annoyingembodied babies. A in Google search values cherished and “focus” practised have introduced modes whatdirected he does: for two thinkThis the isangst at PolScholarship should be lock hours fundamental to India” life in (research secular society.

Scrip- has “folk music for an article) in our civilisation”.

They also cit-from that dim everything apart every morning, he switchis really about the colour of beyondyou’re the diktat ture exists on twoBody planes, the ed Pollock’s led mesimultaneously to a page on “Tropical Language.” defence or of even the stuthe paragraph, the sentence, esof off the turns off his phone. And hisinternet, skin or his country of citizenfragile religious sacred historical.

It is imbued with the Onand mythe phone, one WhatsApp message tinkles dentsworking at Jawaharlal Nehru on. Although, I would think a “diswrites. ship (his critics cluelessly accuse sentiments ineffable power of the divine, theissame in after another.

While but WillatSelf worried University as proofword that he disretraction-free processor” would be one That’shim a sound we muttereven approvof strategy, “Orientalism,” time about it is also work ofnovel” humandying beings who of thethe“serious because spected unity integrity that“the goes full and screen and suppresses all pop- ingly. Except every my resolution though theirmorning own preferred inlivedthere in realbeing placesno and in real I’m political so- of India,” readers, moreand concerned as ifnotifications the professor’s ups and from email or other withers.terpretations of the Hindu past cial conditions.

In being order to respect the Writing sanctity anyabout there few writers. criticism the government apps. of To ensure that, however, I can install Perhaps, all is to not lost.

I realise I’ve owethough, much Orientalist of the former, you do nothere’s have another to deny 27-hourthe calls Freedom thing.

Because look, into question his deep eruto “block distractions, be productive, written thought). the rest of this article, miraculously, truthlong of the catlatter. video. dition andstart nuanced understanding of “Absolutely the Inand accomplishing more.” distractions. was in, what Flowstate No,sans it has to do with Isomething far worse This is an important Maintain- dian brilliant,” I have options, ofdistinction. course. past. flashes a quote from Nick Hornby in “the zone”.InI’dthe switched thanpromises, casual xenophobia. petitionnothing — and off. ing theZenPen divide between the historical and the offers a “minimalist” online writing The petition hasbanner. been widely panned in the the feedback I’m not tempted untilin I the I’dwork usedof Word.

And the only was of my its guru, New sound Jersey-based sacred is not simply academic exercise, it’s media zone “where youan can block out all distractions by academics. arguments have If seeand praise from NaomiIts Klein “I love Freedom. fingers hitting the keyboard.

The fact that I writer Rajiv Malhotra (who is to sophisticated whatand separates secularimportant. democracyThe from theoc- Not get to what’s writing!” beenI ever systematically dismantled and the But finish writing my book this is why.” had a deadline helped, of course.

But is that historical scholarship what Subramanian racy. sure A society that insists the sa- it’s how that’s meanton tomingling work considering threadbare credentials of many its backers would it work? Surely it wasof simple to just not all?isWhat is the spacediscourse) where writers Swamy to civil political — wego seewhen cred one and of themany historical will tabs creep I towards browser have open. exposed.

Yetitdespite its flaws andAnd logical in- an intolerance switch on. Or switch it off. the writing they write?for the critical intellectual habbecoming Saudi Arabia or, for that matter, Pa- consistencies, (Twelve.

Because I quickly, surreptitiously the petition is setting the terms of apps seemed to be minimalistic variations temptations its thatBeyond are theall bedrock of notand onlytrickeries. a liberal I rekistan and Israel, countries where religious closed nine.)all The OmmWriter app, on the othfor aWord new or conversation about whothat hasgoes the full Scrivner. Everything alise it’s notbut online offline,open but in.

Where onarts education, also or a liberal, society. understandings of itself the past supersede presenter hand, calls a “writer’s haven”.

It promrightscreen to interpret Indian history and be- ly we exist. The words and me. can be ancient minimised.

So easy to switch t@kanishktharoor day concerns. ises “your own private writing room where whattween that history should at look it has applications, thelike. flickWhile of a finger. janice pariat is the author of Seahorse; you can close the door behind you to focus on Enter Flowstate. your writing in peace.” You can choose beAn app that will delete everything if you t@janicepariat

The age of distraction

With the laundry list of distractions offered by the internet, this is arguably the toughest era to be a writer

janice pariat

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Kanishk Tharoor is the author of Swimmer Among the Stars: Stories, a collection of short fiction

takeaway talk

saturday, march 26,26, 2016 saturday, march 2016

Hip, hip, hygge!

Labour pains UNDISCOVERED COUNTRY

What makes Denmark one of the world’s happiest countries?

For the landless agricultural labourer, the struggle for everyday sustenance leaves no dinner with friends and family, without the resources for loftier dreams usual dose of drama that accompanies such

gatherings, is the ultimate hygge. So is cosying up under a quilt with a loved one on a movie night or even some quiet time at the Laundromat café.

Apart from the broad overarching definition, no two Danes would have the same answer to hygge but the underlying sentiment remains the same — feeling cosy and free of stress, irrespective of where you are. It doesn’t mean one avoids dealing with uncomfortable situations and feelings. Hygge just encourages an ability to switch off the negative vibes ever so often and enjoy the present moment.

I wondered if incorporating a bit of hyggeinspired cosiness into my travels would be such a bad thing. Ticking things off the proverbial list was never my style but I am yet to plan a vacation where I’d slow down and amble around for a day or two in one place, without an agenda in sight. Vacations are supposed to be stress-busters but oftentimes, the headache that comes with hectic travel is hard to ignore. I remembered all the times I returned home from a vacation, only to need one more to rest my tired mind.

Fascinated by this esoteric phenomenon, I tried to find hygge in my own way since chances of scoring an invitation to the quintessential ‘cosy’ dinner during my short stay in Sons of the soil The government has announced a compensation of ₹5,000 a hectare for farmers with destroyed crops. Imagine living on that forgrim four months, Copenhagen were at best.half So aayear. bunch of Anyway, that is more land than most farmers in UP have b velankanni raj us headed to the little coastal town of Hundestad one afternoon. I walked past brightly colhave known Dawan pretty much my matter how strong such a man might be, or keepoured peoplehouses afloat at suchrose-filled times. gardens along with whole life. In my childhood he seemed to how resilient his spirit, the work strips the The government hasacompensated farmers ice the beach to get scoop of homemade be a large, strapping man. When bags of flesh off of a body, it reduces a person to mus- who cream have been able to show that 75 per cent of from Vaffelhjornet, voted Denmark’s wheat were unloaded from the tractor cle, ligaments, and skin stretched tight over the crop been destroyed in the village, at best.has Families, friends and young children trolley at home, he would heft one on his back, the bones. It is not as if Dawan did not try. He about ₹5,000upa to hectare.

Per season.

Imagine froqueued get a cone of this delicious walk toward the garage, and dump it atop a travelled far for the work that he got, all the livingzen onfare. that In fortheir fourcontent months,smiles, half a year.

I could sense neat and growing pile. Each bag would weigh way to Punjab, at times. And it is not as if he Anyway, thatofishygge. more land than most farmthe spirit upward of a 100 kg, or a quintal, as we call it. It did not earn. He did. And with his earnings he ers in UP have. Dawan has none.

Skipping a museum tour on another afterseemed no mean feat to me then, that a man built a house. But his son lives He does noon, I climbed to the have top of athedaughter, 90m-high hecould make the trips back and forth, lifting there, and Dawan still lives in the and this is theChurch year that lix spire though, of the baroque-style of Our those bags, shrugging them off, only to return old thatched-roof mud house is to be dowry — a city Saviour. she I could seemarried. the red As roofs of the for more. that I have always seen him practice is illegal stretch up to thethat edge of the but sea continand all the Sunshine on my shoulders Copenhagen a warm, bright afternoon And then, afterward, the workers wouldoneat, emerge from. neelima vallangi ues nevertheless the boy’s fam-stunway beyond till Sweden. —Taking in the It has not been a good Dawan among them. Dressed in lungis and A couple of years ago, my wife ily of has for a motorcycle. ning views theasked city, watching tiny shadows year for farmers, undershirts, with their shirts flung over their and I bought him a jacket — as alWhere Dawan supposed to the of cyclists at the squareis and counting even worse for those it on our to Magstræde, shoulders,first theynoticed would squat overway a meal of ro- so one environment. behind your for another Leaving person who the money one felt is hard to number find of kayaks in thefor canals incredibly who worries have no land of the two oldest of Copenhatis, dal andone vegetables.

And rice, lanes of course, al- works and of life with calming.imagine. at enjoying the farm. the We good made things a Myof mother hasitsuggestAt the risk making sound like a A was sliver sunshine escaped ways rice. gen.

A meal not of complete without friends, pets, strangers mistake.

Thefamily, jackets were too or even alone, is First World ed that I pay. My sister needed has just beproblem, I badly that esthrough high roofs theand historic bhaat. They would the work hard, eat of well, about. nice, what andhygge theyis all disappeared, comethe therigours vice-president at a very hocape because of a frantic-paced the street. laughhouses loudly.lining Dawan, orcobblestoned Dauna, as he is oftenA cyDoesn’t come as a to bigtheir surskived off or given away, largeliday hospital, she lightly. has are notand to besotaken clist passed through strip ofand sunlight called, would have a bit of the a swagger, a big and priseThis then, that be- less gener- sent some money. We children. year wehygge wereisa little the fortunate chilTheare hyggelig vibes radiating leisurely at a café on the pavegrin, asetcouple off by asat small moustache. lieved to be onewiser: of the sweaters we dren of India, fortunate ous, and maybe a little formuffled having been born from the chatter of peoThe city seemed to be outdoors Hement. retains theentire moustache, and the brightDenmark being giftedsecrets stayedtowith them, for at least A the few in the right Ourcelebrating hard work has been re-along summer cheerful dinner withfamily.ple sunny evening. it as natural ness that of that grin, but heI dismissed has shrunk inathe days consistently that I saw. rated as one of warded while Dawan’s has the stripped himof tochildren the Nyhavn, laughter friends and family, toknown the short dayshim of Den- This yearsresponse that I have him.summer I tower over the happiest year Dawan’scountries daughter isinto bewithout married.the bone, and left helpless against a society playing in the shallow beach wausual dose of him else older caught my attennow, mark. so I canBut no something longer gift him clothes world!

If youthe have been following the news you know that will not showters even ounce of mercy, ofan Hundestad and thenot shared drama that accompanies tion,Itan aura of contagious of mine. is not genes, no miraclebonhomie of DNA or that Thebeen concept of hygge it has not a good year origfor farmers, even even during a drought. camaraderie of watching a volsuch gatherings, is the hung in theaair.

I didn’t know the His warm feeling descent, merely matter of nutrition. hard as awho clever worseinated for those havedefence no land. Nor is ultimate this My mother fearsunteer-driven that by givingViking moneyplay to Dain Frehygge feltnot then hadhim a name but that the scene made me workIhas won the food he should against the cold and dark the first bad year. wan for his daughter’s marriage, be derikssund were we hardwill to escape. happy. have feel had,strangely or had with regularity. winters for the a rains have somehow complicit This is the Danes secondendure year that the dowry then demand.

It’s with not surprising that my no easy way to English explain the untransHe is,There’s what we call in the writing part of the year. beenlarge uneven, coming atAppartimes when they Somehow it seems less terrible than simply leisurely wanderings around CoDanish word ‘hygge’ (pronounced press,latable a ‘landless labourer’. ently, and not cosiness should notcandles have, and coming at all at standing by whenpenhagen, somebody I used to admire which gave me Danish The‘hoo-guh’). term doesMy little justicecolleagues to the lifeDitte that and beat theshould. blues out thepeople harshhave weather. timescan when they Veryoffew as a child, is left with end. enough time to nothing observe in allthe this, became the explained to me that, in aforever broad sense, it savings such Lise a man must live, dependent on the The Danes didn’t the cosiness to tide over confine these things, certainlyover- most memorable moments from the trip. t@OmairTAhmad cosiness andcan well-being.

ButNo its esthosemeans that own land, and employ him. drive to poor. winterSome months but loans ingrained not the very odd only, jobs and sence, as I gathered by the end of my stay, lies this into their culture, 365 days of the year. neelima vallangi is a Bengaluru-based travel writer in creating a warm, friendly and comfortable From what I could comprehend, a cheerful and photographer

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Omair Ahmad is the South Asia Editor for The Third Pole, reporting on water issues in the Himalayas

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saturday, march 26,26, 2016 saturday, march 2016

Smart cards fetch water Inside a rainbow

Encounters with lengths upon lengths of brilliant hues,in the A sustainable model takes safe drinking water to women from low-income groups master craftspeople, slums of Kolkata and committed conservationists in joint liability group (JLG) that is in charge of the textile paradise the upkeep of the filtering plant.

The plant, built by SAFE in partnership with of Kutch

the people, is supported by HSBC’s Water Programme, which provided the initial funding and technical support for the sustainable model project.

“This is an ambitious model on water and sanitation. The success of this project has been quite visible in the lower-income localities,” says Amrita Chatterjee, director (communications and research), SAFE. “It started off as a pilot project. The water is primarily taken from the nearby pond and filtered at the plant that has been built on community land. The water that cannot be purified is directed to the community toilets, which are, in turn, connected to a bio-gas plant that produces fuel for use in the community kitchens. Moreover, the filter plant runs on solar energy produced from the panels fitted on its roof,” she adds.

Over the last two years, the project has gradually attained self-sustainability.

The room Acres of ajrakh Freshly-dyed and printed fabric stretched out under a searing sun at Abdul Jabbar Khatri’s ‘workshop’ in Dhamadka village; (below) weaving a patola, or double ikat silk sari, involves precise placing of the tied-and-dyed warp and weft images: puneetinder kaur sidhu that houses the filtering plant has a huge solar grid that produces more than 10 KW of energy.

The water is supplied through underground his was a first — signing up for struc- traordinaire we visited, marvelled at, and channels haris (pastoral cattle traders), from the nearby pond.had migrated tured travel to play catch-up with often ate with over the week-long trip. here from water Sindh from over 300 years ago.

Surface the pond is notToday, used he as Kutch’s capabilities. It had seemed is most have sought after for his artistry in doublepeople inhibitions about drinking the like an enormously exciting way to Attired in tradition sided block were going toand be dirty water printing. that theyAnd usewefor cleaning acquaint myself with an Indian extremity The journey from Ahmedabad is mostly un- washing. walked through The plant the dailymany purifiestime-intensive about 10,000 hitherto unvisited. That it was going to unrav- eventful, along excellent highways that slice litres steps that resultwhich in histhe award-winning creof water, residents collect el itself through brilliantly hued warps and through a number of prominent towns. It ations. first, lunch. Served hot off from the But three dispensers installed in the wefts accorded it that much more of the pro- includes a brief glimpse of the salt hearth by our generous famslum. Though 10 litres come free, thehost’s residents verbial colour. As also the knowledge that our pans near the Surajbari creek the flavourful meaty can always buyily,more by topping up meal their Bonding water Community participation by is the Kalikapur intimateover group would be accompanied ankey to atthe the edge model’s of thesuccess Littlesaadia azim was a welcome change smart cards with money. expert for edifying effects. Up until then my fa- Rann. From atop a from the vegetarian thaThe additional water is priced at a nominal miliarity with this space had straddled pen- bridge here, the point lis we had equally rel50 paise per litre. hat more could ask hand nanted souvenirs ubiquitously soldone along would run dry or the municipal wherepump we ambitiousished that the past couple It was a World Bank study revealed an have a reliable kerb-side marts, and for? highWe street chains retail- public installed few and far between, uncomfortable truth: poor ly triedtaps, to capture of days.

Yetdrinking it’s the quality source of drinking water, would ing market-driven prêt-a-port.

The gobsmackget no supply. blindingly white gur so white, butter water was causing 21 per cent of diseases in Inwhich is clean, safe craft and, landscape ing might of the region’s efflorescent There wasdigitally, also every chance that the stored dia and creating a burden so fresh, bajra-na-rotof around ₹300 most importantly, Rinki water though would hit adequate,” me a lot remarks later — when would get the Arabian Seacontaminated. is so motivated hearty, thatSAFE encrore for the government.la This Shaw, 20, of No. 3, located on squinting down at Kalikapur miniatureslum, embroideries an but But their fortunes 10 km away.

Here turned and, today, get- to plan this project. Indiadure as my has indelibly been spending the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Kolkata.

Ahmedabad-based revivalist reverentially dis- ting water is no longer the torturous chore it around ₹1.48 lakh crore foremost on, the topography culinary every year since the She is among the away manyinwomen in the area used played and locked a vault for an interThe women simply walk over to a 1990s on various waterouting turnsto be. dramatically from the trip. sanitation projects. who havedebut. been using a smart card for around water national ATM at their monochromatic too.convenience, and take Even so, the country ranks Length freshly120 inupon a UNDP surtwo years that now day to collect 10 litres of potable wa- home Earlier I’d stood in awe of the treatheirupon share without Swathes dun worand on printed length vey of 123dyed nations the ‘safe water every morningwithin from the an automatic water rying sured collections verdure-cloaked, whether there would swathes punctuated by be stretched out under a searter index’. dispensing machine.and restructured haveli any stunningly-carved left. clusters and hardy thorny ing sun greeted slum us at Jabbar’s The Kalikapur project In is fact, slumMuseum dwellersofofTextiles. ward numbers that thethe Calico Imperi- trees So, embroidering where and how is the wa- Following the success has seasonal ‘workshop’.

A euphemism really successfully demonstrated 108 and 109 infrom Kolkata have gone high-tech ous directives a babushka-wearing histo- ter bodies supplyare maintained? anpar for the The course. foreffective rolling system acreagetodotted with an address baof Kallikapur, the with a vengeance. rian had us whirlwinding past all manner of swer from local Reliefcomes came few andanother far between, sundry structures a worksic healthcare andwhere sanitation isproject is being A single patola saree They all expertly useprinted, their smart cards to woman, woven, embroidered, and tied-andKavita Pal.of rich green first in the guise force of went sues.

Theplenty key furiously is to utilise replicated in two is shaped over four to collect their quota of free vari- fields, dyed exhibits harking backwater to thefrom 15th the century.

“We and arelater, getting the water the textiles. about the sources incredibly complex renewable of energy like other Kolkataby slums five months an ous machines, The compact rush hadwater left atdispensing least one of us dizzilypopbe- from filtering plant “It isa important to seethat crafthas in business at hand.

A tannin solar power and bio-gas, andsoak catequal number of ularly as water ATMs, installed their been reft ofknown experience.

Protests, howeverinfeeble, set up Durga with the technical its context,” Venkataswalater, the cotton yardage is leftaction. to dry alyse community into highly skilled and neighbourhoods. were met by authoritative recommendations support of SAFE (South Asian Fomy, the Hyderabad-based textile before the design is outlined The project is currently being imaginative artisans beside a huge pond, access to rum to Despite visit theliving real deal. for Environment), a nontechnologist leading our tour with a pasteinoftwo limeother and natural replicated urban potable was the biggest problem faced governmental “Kutchwater is paradise for lovers of textile!” sciencebefore and environment orga- slums in Kolkata. had shared shortly we gum. A mordant — fermented filby the women Kalikapur for longest nisation.

Kamliniben hadof exclaimed, herthesonorous There was a time when the women alighted at Abdul Jabbar Khatri’s trate of scrap iron“For andus jaggery — A happy Rina Jana sums up: women time.

Most wouldstartlingly wake upwith at the of here voice contrasting her crack bird-like spend three village. to four hours daily it’s been a total housewould in Dhamadka is used to fillThese in thedays, black areas of win-win. even men dawn andWe rush to thewait nearest persona. couldn’t to go.hand pump to collecting water.

We could notthere’s take care our have “Particularly in Kutch, where anof interthe design.

Following the fabric is gotten involved in which doing what was conqueue for their turn to fill drums and buck- children Bhuj,up administrative head of Kutch district, or do household chores with a free esting interplay with environment... also it’s sidered dipped into vats, work. often more than once, onlyindigo a woman’s With communiets, they wouldinthen home. They was which near-decimated the carry devastating tem- mind because collecting water wastraditional always the ty possibly the last few regions where andownership dried. After a quick rinse at athe simulated and participation, onus of faced immense mental blor that hit the regionand in physical 2001. Nostrain effortbut by first least The withpeople the water machines attirepriority. is still At worn.” of the Banni getting cascadethe of running water, it isshared. dried yet again. work done is now Men and bore it all because there was simply nospared other and civil society and the government was smart continue cards, we to dosport not have to (resistworry women grasslands ajrakh Anotherhave alumunderstood mordant isthe applied bemeritsbefore of workway. to resuscitate the hard-hit communities of about securing our most dyed block printing) as basic daily right wear,anymore. she had ing side pot-boiled with madder root (natural red by side.”

Of course, there wasvoiced no guarantee that they Ielaborated craftspeople.

This was — was empiricalam assured of safeJabbar’s water and my children do dye) over roaring fires. By the time perfectlyfurther. family, longstand, Women’s Feature Service would return with water every time.

Either the ly evident even — by most of the artisans ex- not ill frequently,” says Pal, who the saadia ing fall producers of classic ajrakh for heads the Maldaligned,azim double-sided ajrakh reaches us clue-

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saturday, march 26,26, 2016 saturday, march 2016

Travel Log Get there

Fly/Train to Ahmedabad, drive six hours to Bhuj.

Stay

Diwan’s Bungalow and House of MG in Ahmedabad; Regenta Resort and Prince Hotel in Bhuj; Tent City in Dhordo; Sham-E-Sarhad Eco Resort in Hodka; Rann Riders in Dasada.

Tip

The sun is very strong; pack clothes with long sleeves.

Timeless threads Septuagenarian AA Wazir has built a formidable collection of rare and vintage textiles in Bhuj; (inset) ajrakh printing blocks

less customers, it has undergone an astonishing 16 stages of intense month-long labour!

In an admittedly unfair comparison, the bandhani (tie-and-dye) techniques we witnessed later at SIDR Craft in Bhuj came across as a mere bagatelle. Largely because much of the customary intricacies — pinching of design, tying of waxed thread — happen elsewhere, reaching brothers Abdullah and Jabbar (not to be confused with the ajrakh specialist) Khatri many weeks later for their inimitable flourishes. One of which is the Japanese itajime, a clamp dye technique requiring tremendous precision in folding to achieve the resulting visual illusion. The fabric is securely bookended between geometric-shaped fastens. Next placed in a cauldron of bubbling dye to absorb another colour or, as the case may be, in sodium hydrosulphite to discharge omen’s Day whooshed past us early this month, and I continue to be haunted by two horrific images from the recent past: one, of a young woman, head buried in her mother’s lap, convulsed by sobs and unable to return to a sense of wholeness after being gang-raped by Jat protestors and later gagged by the police; the other, again a young woman of about the same age, a student of a prestigious film institute who had complained about a professor’s sexual abuse, bracing herself as a gang of men, fellow students all, threaten and abuse her outside her hostel room. Both were advised against demanding justice, in the name of the ‘family’ — or educational institution-as-family, as the case may be.

Lest the reader dismisses these as carpings by ‘incurable feminists’, let me point out that the evocation of intimacy can divert attention from serious social injustice. We learned this the hard way. We are constantly told that institutions run best when they are intimate, closer-to-informal spaces. We do know that the evocation of intimacy works to mask the operation of power hierarchies within families and, indeed, turn our attention away from the conflicts within.

It is fatal to reduce issues of social inequality and power differentials to the familial language of ‘love and care’. Even if one conceded that all members of public institutions are the true bearers of familial values, love and care included, it does not serve to resolve the problem. There is no guarantee that such familial feelings will endure forever; so what’s really needed are externallyformulated rules — like democratic-constitutional guarantees for reservations, while internalised norms like fel-

an existing shade.

They also dabble in shibori, another Japanese practice, which necessitates the use of running stitch to fashion a design.

The thread is pulled tight before being coloured to create a wrinkle effect.

Not kid stuff When HRD minister Smriti Irani justifies the need to discipline university students, she has the approval of the majority that endorses mainstream gender norms pti/ vijay kumar

joshi

Mama, don’t preach Keepers of craft treasures

Over the next couple of days we visited collectors of vintage textiles, splendid weavers, and dedicated non-profits. All committed to the preservation and promotion of Kutch embroi- Daily splendour A woman from the Banni grasslands deries in their own way. The septuagenarian in her traditional attire AA Wazir altered both ambition (commerce) and ardour (miniature paintings) mid-stride crowning glory.

Our arrival at the boundless saline marshes to build a collection of rare embellished treasures. The earthquake-wreaked loss of thou- of the Rann of Kutch couldn’t have come at a sands of precious pieces, notwithstanding. At better time. After the sensory assault of the fewWe, days, thewomen white wastelands were exthe time of our he had invested 50 years past low-feeling and visit compassion for the badly-off politics. both and men, now stand what I yearned for as a refreshing palette and nearly ₹3 croreNot (a to figure he families reluctantly are quite welcome. forget, are actly before a refurbished patriarchy that seems to Take it from me — there be too shared at my impolite thecare 3,000 often hierarchical andquery) love in and is artinot cleanser. have abandoned all pretence of can ‘empowerof a good At the moment, even cles amongst which sat quite wonder- much showered equally on allwe members. ment’ except as a thing. useful keyword in the State’s romantic sienna of a setting sun hurtand the struck.

A kaleidoscopic cornucopia where a the But then, love and care — coded feminine efforts to correct demographic imbalance delight-in-dun continued through to 16th-century velvet of Mughal royalty and familial —Italian as a form of power have long es- eye! add My provisioning responsibilities to poor Littledaily Rannworkloads. next day, where the sandyjostled with 18th- and 19th-century caped the confines of actual families.brocades, the women’s kanthas, silkusgarwhite of thewe nimble Indian wild Indeed,phulkaris, 2016 hasand given many thoughtOver the past decades, witnessed how it ments.

While a (pardon theSmriti liter- Irani infanti- makes poor women ass presented no threat to a selfprovoking examples — of the agents of securing life al) pussy-footing feline — “She’s imposed for lising the late Rohith Vemula as a ‘child’ even through self-help, evencolour-curfew. as it fashions Save a necroadopted us” — cried for his undithe pink haze of a flamboyance as she justified the need to discipline universi- politics through the death penalty, precisely The white vided attention. the whitesafety. pelicans, ty students; Justice Pratibha Rani producing a wastelands on the pretextofofflamingos, ensuring women’s But were a refreshing It was, however, his less psychedelcommon cranes, egrets, ibis judgment that has to do worse things seem to be and in store. palette cleanser ic repertoire of the antique quilts, we spottedGandhi’s here helped hugely in with upholding Indian ConManeka recent protorans, traditionala my detox. By the we were stitutiondowry than bags, with tweaking nouncement on time marital rape outfits cattle caparisons, done at erotica-in-stone waywardand child’s ears.

In both, seemspeering to indicate that we are Where does that adorned stitch-work of the at the Sun Temple in Modhera, we see awith form of disciplining back to Brahminical ways where put the familiar Rabari, Jat, Mutava, Meghval, and the sculptural panels at Rani power coded feminine and patriarchal authority, not uncondiscourse of women Ahir, and Sodha tribes, which held Ki of Vav, the seven-storey step well built as an intherefore utterly acceptable to us in thrall. ditional love and care, alone matas agents More of which we encountered verted temple in Her the 11th century, wasonly no the majority that endorsesin contempoters. reasons are Inot development?

In the rary settings gender while mingling craftwhere longer hue-shy. mainstream norms. It with is both foolish, they also throw the hithdustbin, else? and creators at Shrujan, That’s a good thing becauseglobal our return to reimportant to point to this Qasab, as a and Kalaerto-dominant discourse raksha. the end of short (irrefutably to less form ofLocated poweratthat seems to drives radi- spective homes of women’s agency in colourful developating Bhuj town, these NGOs have long lives) later that dayinto was via Patola House at Paspringfrom from the mainstream ment utter disarray — maribeen empowering from pastoral com- tan. This is one lastcannot remaining bastionsshe of feminine, and maywomen be deployed tal of rape be banned, — double silk sari — weaving fammunities through theirofmatchless métier.

Ex- patola in disciplining people all genders.

To critifeels, because of ikat illiteracy, poverty, and other Maharashtra who, on behest of and the cept Khamir; after thewhen quake, this ilies cise this form established of power, especially a powsuchfrom development ills! If women’s rights herecannot in the 12th century. under Rahul outfit focuseswields instead on wood, leatherful woman it against thepottery, powerless of ruler, agencysettled at home be fostered working thewhere tilted loom for our er metaliscraft ledallbysexism. male artisans.

Weav- Salvi, anyand gender not at While certain such conditions, does that putbenefit, the fa35thdiscourse in a line of practitioners ing, being another.

Forwell which we and visited epithets or usages may be sexist fit is miliar of generational women as agents of develan art nonpareil.

Requiring Bhujodi, a weavers’ village best known for of for criticism, it is all-important now to forceopment?

In the dustbin, whereprecise else? placing the tied-and-dyed wefton forthe thevery moShamji Vankar’s and extra-weft fully criticise anywoven powercotton that deploys the dis- of This is part of thewarp largerand attack toofmanifest, a single wool Operating out of home, coursetextiles. of motherly concern to their silence and tif idea an inclusive Indiapatola — andsari thatisisshaped where fourfind to five months an equal number Shamji andothers. his brother Dinesh churn out their over infantilise we must courage andby strength.

This is not highly skilled imaginative trendy and much demand car- of We seem to haveincome full furnishings, circle. The patria war solely of, and or for women; itartisans. is for usAny to is feted as the Queen of Silks? pets, and shawlsuswith assistance archalstoles family pursues eventhe when we try of to wonder trace theitconnections and join the battle.

60 families from the village. when fleeother to universities; it returns not justYet through j devika is a historian and critic in based in kaur sidhu is abased writer probed, it is their multi-huedbut awardthe patriarchs, thefather’s male authorities, also puneetinder Thiruvananthapuram dablo (blanket) they uphold as their Chandigarh winning the Big-Mothers encouraged by right-wing

It is all-important today to forcefully criticise any power that deploys the discourse of motherly concern to silence and infantilise others

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Pub city’s very dry patch The few lakes in Bengaluru that have escaped land sharks are today little better than sewage lines, including a foaming one that bursts into flames, and another that kills masses of fish

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here do you begin to tell the story of a thousand deaths?

Should you begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end, and then stop? Perhaps. But the story of the lakes in Bengaluru would hardly lend itself to a linear narrative.

Earlier this month, the Ulsoor lake — famed for its gorgeous sunsets sliding behind a tiny island, boat rides set off against the champagne skies and a popular refuge from the sweltering summer days — saw its first fish-kill of the year. Hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores,FEATURE raising a mighty stench for pasCREATURE sers-by and the dozens of plush lake-view apartments in the vicinity.

The news and pictures got a few column inches in the papers and a bit of airtime, but not for longer than a day. Eutrophication was old news even a decade ago.

the city in the 16th century). The jacaranda shrunk from 3.4 per cent of the city area in and tabebuia trees that line the roads and 1973 to 1.47 per cent in 2005; the built-up area parks in nearly every neighbourhood — how- grew from 27.3 per cent to 45.19 per cent in the ever ill-maintained — still somewhat justify same period. the first sobriquet. But the city grew into the The fallout: flooding at the first hint of rain, gargantuan it is today by swallowing many of changes in micro climates and drastic changits lakes and spitting out a tragedy over sever- es in the migratory patterns of to birds.

Not to Ready fly Each al decades now. mention the cultural changes puffin follows its ownto Of course, not many people the face of the city, the death idiosyncratic route of year, payingin had stopped to notice. snakes, frogs year andafter other fauna seemingly little According to a committee set the vicinity, and the redundancy An encroacher is attention to what the up by the Karnataka legislature of life of fishereffectively a polluter. of a whole way others are—doing in 2014, an estimated 11,000 men, farmers shutterstock and other commuThe politics of the acres of lakebed has been ennities that lived by these lakes states is financed by croached on, from 1,545 lakes, in and helped keep them healthy real estate both Bangalore Urban and Rural and alive. districts. One-third of the enhile environmentalists croachments was by the Bangaand residents have been lore Development Authority and the rest by private land developers. Even until crying hoarse over the encroachment and the 1960s, the city of lakes boasted 280 water filth endangering the lakes since the 1970s, it was the almost surreal foaming of Bellandur bodies; today not more than 17 have survived.

A 2005 study by TV Ramachandra of the lake — the largest lake in Bengaluru — last year Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Insti- that caught national attention.

Reports of foam formation from the detertute of Science showed that waterbodies have

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once quiet, sleepy town of Bengaluru Thehe coordinated life of the puffin in the breeding season is in stark contrast to what it does had under its belt several sobriquets like during of‘city theofyear the ‘gardenthe city’rest and the lakes’ (the nearly 300 that came into being along with

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hen I sit down each month to learn about a new creature, I expect that the creature’s life will soon begin to make sense to me. The process of understanding the Atlantic puffin, however, has been the reverse.

The more I discover, the more enigmatic the puffin becomes.

I would never have written about puffins had it not been for a suggestion from Jonathan Woodward, who works at the Museum of Comparative Zoology in the office next door to mine. Though Woodward knew about puffins as a child, his current enthusiasm for them grew from an unusual source. “There’s this breakfast cereal called Puffins. They have puffin facts on the back of the box, so I read the facts on the back of box and I looked them up online… I was just really taken by them.”

Simply looking up facts is not often the best way to become excited about an organism.

But puffins are an exception. Facts about how puffins go about their lives have been enough to persuade me that, if I could choose such a thing, they’re the organism I’d most like to be.

I’d previously thought that puffins were too famous, too charismatic for me, a self-avowed champion of the underappreciated, to pay much attention to. And it’s undeniable that puffins’ appearance contributes to their easy popularity. “The black and white is very tasteful, very stylish,” Woodward described. But he soon convinced me that even their looks are not straightforwardly charming: “the shape of the feathers around the eye… makes them look sad and happy at the same time.”

Delving into their biology, I found that puffins continued to stubbornly defy all my expectations. Take, for example, their approach to nest hygiene. Pairs of puffins each lay a single egg inside of a burrow. They dig these burrows themselves, also constructing a small side tunnel that the chick uses as a toilet. “This Fragile beauty Ulsoor lake in Bengaluru has been waging abehaviour decades-long battle against pollution grn long somashekar ensures that the chick’s down ambika kamath

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does not get fouled,” say Mike Harris and Sa- close together to return to their burrows sirah Wanless in The Puffin, a delightful account multaneously after going fishing in different of these birds’ biology. parts of the sea. Again, biologists can guess But unlike the chicks’ contained defecation, why this might be useful — landing together adult puffins are positively extravagant with could confuse the sea gulls waiting close by to their guano. Harris and Wanless describe it steal the puffins’ hard-earned fish — but we thus: “an adult puffin leaves the burrow to def- don’t know for sure. ecate, takes a few steps, turns around, raises its All this coordination among puffins in the tail and ejects a white trail. In time, this beha- breeding season lies in stark contrast to what viour results in series of very distinctive white they do during the rest of the year. As Woodlines radiating out from the entrance, a sure ward said, “They’re out at sea alone by themsign that a burrow is occupied.” selves, so completely solitary.” Until recently, You may expect any self-respecting biolo- puffins have been impossible to track as they gist to be able to trot out a neat evolutionary fly across vast ocean expanses in the nonhypothesis for why puffins adorn the entrance breeding season, never coming near land. But of their nest burrows with a fecal rangoli. But with recent technological advances, scientists personally, I’m stumped. And can measure where they go. What this isn’t the only aspect of the they’ve found so far is weird — puffin’s life about which we have each puffin follows its own idiomore questions than answers. Every now and then, syncratic route year after year, Consider the low-pitched vocalipaying seemingly little attention a whole colony of sations that puffins emit from puffins synchronises to what the others are doing. We within their burrows. No one is have no idea how a puffin decides their calls quite sure what these ‘groans’ where to go, and that’s just the convey. And it gets even more bistart of the questions. “Where do zarre when, every now and then, they sleep? Do they take naps? a whole colony of puffins synWhat are they doing out there chronises their calls. On such ‘groaning days’, that whole time?” Woodward mused, “They it is, in the words of puffin biologist Kenny Tay- might as well be alien creatures.” lor, “as if the earth itself were speaking in the Though Woodward works in a natural histotongues of a thousand puffins.” ry museum, he is less a scientist and more a Biologists’ best guess for why puffins groan poet. He’s had a chance, therefore, to observe in chorus is that low-frequency vibrations us biologists from the outside, as we go about transmitted through the soil help them locate “taking a large messy system like the world their neighbours’ burrows, preventing colli- and slicing it into thinner and thinner slices sions and collapses on the crowded islands until you can understand, or tell yourself that where thousands of puffins nest together. you can understand, what’s going on.” But evTheir breeding season is also marked by other ery now and then, something like a puffin impressive feats of coordination. The one I’d comes into view, reminding us how strange of most like to see is called ‘wheeling’, where a mystery this world still remains. large groups of puffins fly in a circle above both land and sea. Each puffin’s position in ambika kamath studies organismic and evolutionary the wheel is coordinated with its neighbours’ biology at Harvard University positions, allowing all of the puffins who nest ambimakath@gmail.com

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That’s not grandma!

Head over heels

Wrong woman gets cremated at funeral home

Bird-hit rollercoaster leaves tourists hanging

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funeral home in New York cremated the wrong corpse instead of Val-Jean McDonald, after relatives failed to notice the mix-up. McDonald’s grieving grandson did point out to his father that the woman in the casket did not look like his grandmother. However, he was told that people’s appearances can change once they die.

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ver noticed how time seems to stop when you are on a thrill ride? It did for a good 18 minutes for riders at The Happy Valley Amusement Park in Beijing on March 20. A bird landed on the sensor, activating an emergency procedure and halting the rollercoaster mid-motion, leaving some passengers hanging upside down.

Bovine intervention Cow-and-bull marry in style

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cow and a bull in Gujarat celebrated Holi by tying the knot. The ceremony was organised

by Ahmedabad’s Parsana Charitable Trust in order to ‘spread the message of cow protection’. The number of guests at the lavish wedding, which cost a princely sum of ₹18 lakh, was reported to be close to 5,000. Around 300 guests were from Poonam, the bride’s side. Her groom Arjun is a handsome bull from Bagdana village, Bhavnagar.

Seething mess The near-surreal foaming in Bellandur lake, the largest lake in Bengaluru. In this 2015 picture, private companies and citizens’ groups are seen spraying chemicals as part of efforts to improve the water quality sudhakara jain

What’s in a name!

Joke name for $200 million boat wins online poll

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here are many things to be said in favour of online polls, but this is not one of them. A $200million boat may end up with the name Boaty McBoatface after an online poll inviting voters to christen it. The runners-up names are RRS Henry Worsley, RRS David Attenborough and RRS Pillars of Autumn. The National Environment Research Council, which is behind this poll, nearly crashed its website as people attempted to cast their vote.

gents and other chemicals draining into the lake began appearing in the 1980s.

But one day last year, the foam, already blowing on to windshields of cars and into the eyes of helmet-clad motorbike riders, caught fire. Cooking oil from the thousands of household drains that empty into the lake, is said to have reacted with detergents and other toxic chemicals to burst into flames.

Sitting duck

Inflatable bird becomes symbol of protest in Brazil ost of the city’s lakes were created more

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than 400 years ago by damming three natural valley systems — have the Koramangalarazil’s businessmen installed a 40Challaghatta, Hebbal and Vrishabhavathi. metre giant inflatable duck in Paulista AveThe way worked was that rainwater nue, Sao it Paolo’s economic district, towould protest fillagainst the lakes and levied the excess flowed downthe taxes on them by the Leftist stream into theof next lake through government President Dilmastormwater Roussef. The drains, or raja-kaluves. country is struggling to shake off its worst deToday, untreated sewage flowing into the pression in 25 years.

Meanwhile, ducklings stormwater drains is, at inthe turn, polluting thethe swim without a care pool in front of lakes all around and has long made the water Congress (Parliament). undrinkable. The springs at the bottom of some of the lakes, which also once fed the lakes, are blocked by decades of piled-up silt. A lot of Bengaluru’s water supply today is dependent on river-based systems.

The history of attempts to save the lakes has

been a chequered one. Along the way, the state high ammonia levels in Ulsoor lake. However, government even tried to privatise the lakes rather than a simple sewage treatment plant, and get large companies to adopt, clean and which not only cannot remove the nutrients give the lakes — and the flowers, trees, birds but is also not cost-effective, what is needed is and animals dependent on them — a fresh stab an integrated plan, like the one in force at Jakkur lake. “An algae pond and wetat life. lands remove 90-95 per cent of This step was met with a lot of the nutrients and the rest is reresistance from the public and moved by animals and plants was eventually overturned. along the way,” he says.

Cleanliness and awareness What water we have Leo F Saldanha, coordinator at drives achieve what they can, in Bengaluru is what the Environment Support Group but saving the lakes is an underwe are stealing from (ESG), an organisation at the foretaking that demands a lot more, Ramanagara, front of efforts to save the city’s activists point out. Dealing yet Channapatna, lakes, points out that there are Mandya... another blow, the 2016 State no easy answers.

Budget allocated a grossly insufHe lays the bulk of the blame ficient ₹100 crore for lake at the door of the big builders development. who have violated all guidelines iting the most recent fishwhen constructing lucrative apartments and kill at Ulsoor lake, Ramachandra says the villas offering lake views. solution lies in treatment of sewage water. He “An encroacher is effectively a polluter,” he explains that due to the higher temperatures says, pointing to the waste that enters the in summer, there is an increase in biological lakes from such dwellings. “The politics of the activity and the level of nutrients in the lakes, states is financed by real estate. Even when the leading to depletion of oxygen and the death encroachments are demolished, the governof fishes in large numbers. Add to this the ment goes after the weak guys. Unless we go after encroachments, nothing effective can be done,” he says.

Pegging the health of lakes as a much more vital issue than road congestion, which gets inordinate attention and thus funds, Saldanha says investment in road development was aimed at the elite, much to the detriment of lakes. “Any farmer will tell you that water needs to flow on soil, not on concrete. Break the concrete lining of raja-kaluves and plant shrubs along the edges,” he adds.

Calling the state of lakes a “ticking bomb waiting to explode in our faces”, Saldanha despairs that the government has not displayed the nerve to act against encroachments.

“Some predict that by 2025 we won’t have any water left in the city. We already don’t have any. What we have in Bengaluru is what we are stealing from Ramanagara, Channapatna, Mandya, and so on,” he points out.

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City’s chokehold Hundreds of dead fish washed up on the shores of Ulsoor lake on March 7 k murali kumar

deepa bhasthi is a writer and the editor of ‘The Forager’, an online journal of food politics

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in-faq by joy bhattacharjya

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arch 26, 1812. A political cartoon in the Boston Gazette coined the term ‘gerrymandering’ for reshaping electoral districts to help incumbents get re-elected. This quiz is therefore about phrases and terms coined by the press.

Press neologisms

1

Which two-word term for puritan Middle America was coined by journalist and social commentator HL Mencken while covering the celebrated Scopes trial about evolution in the 1920s?

2

Which American television personality coined the phrase ‘truthiness’ in 2005, describing a truth that a person instinctively claims to know because it ‘feels right’ without any regard to evidence, logic or rigorous factual examination?

3

Which word was coined by reporter Dan Short in an article in the Daily Mirror in October 1963 after covering a concert in Cheltenham?

4

The name of which sport was originally believed to have been introduced in the novel Northanger Abbey but was later proven to have first appeared in the newspaper Whitehall Evening Post in September 1749?

5

Which popular term was coined by Dave Carniels, the editor of the skateboard magazine Big Brother, to describe the close relationship between skaters who spent a lot of time together?

6

In 1959, which word did San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen coin to describe the new breed of West Coast bohemians?

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Which word, now often used to refer to small bits of information, was originally coined by writer and columnist Norman Mailer in 1973?

On sport again. Which two-word term was invented by veteran Los Angeles Laker broadcaster Chick Hearn in 1972?

Which term, used to describe a traditional murder mystery was first used by book critic Donald Gordon in the July 1930 issue of the American News of Books in his review of the novel Half-Mast Murder by Milward Kennedy?

here,there & elsewhere

Snail male he journey to Hartford, where my sister now lives, takes all day by T Peter Pan Bus. There are two long halts: one hour in Fall River, two-and-ahalf in Providence at the terminal. Bins is reading The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey. It’s a tiny hardback, with a charming illustration of a snail on its dust cover.

I get motion-sickness from reading on cars and buses, so Bins, always eager to share his treasures, attempts to read out key passages to me.

“You will LOVE this leetle book,” he says, exaggerating his French accent for no reason at all. Bins is in an aisle seat so that he can stretch his long legs, I have the window. He leans towards me as he reads and the stray hairs from his wiry moustache tickle my ears. “Stop whispering!” I say. “And I’m the one who suggested the book to you, remember? I already love it.”

Bins is unconcerned. “Maybe you didn’t understand it the first time,” he says, continuing to whisper. “For instance, did you know that snails have more than 2,000 teeth?”

However irritating it is, I appreciate his need to share. It’s that kind of book. Small enough to be read in the space of an hour, it’s the true account of an American woman and the bond she develops with a tiny

woodland snail. She had fallen seriously ill in her mid-thirties and was eventually confined to a bed in a studio apartment.

She was cared for by friends and visiting nurses but was otherwise alone. One of these friends, while walking through the nearby woods, picks up a diminutive creature with a shell and four eyes on stalks. She settles it into a pot of wild violets and brings it to the invalid.

In the solitude of her convalescence and her own immobility, the author discovers a world of sweet beauty, right beside her. Initially she is troubled by the responsibility: why should an innocent wild creature be forced to

share her prison? But her small companion seems unperturbed. It explores its new surroundings with interest, chewing tiny square holes in any paper it encounters, preferring withered flower petals to fresh. “She can hear him eating,” says Bins admiringly. “Like a miniature person crunching a miniature celery stalk!” I try not to be impatient. I tell him that anyone can listen to this sound now.

“Someone posted it online,” I say. “Just search for the book’s title? I’ve heard it already.”

Bins shakes his head disapprovingly.

“Pooh! That is the wrong way. We should get our own snail and listen to what he sounds like! Maybe Indian snails sound different to American?

Maybe we can feed him red chillies?”

I try not to shriek. The bus is full of passengers and most of them are trying to snooze. “Don’t be mean!” I whisper. “The poor snail might go up in smoke!” Bins gets a wicked gleam in his eye. “You know, in France, we eat snails...” I stop him with a frown.

“Not me! Never!” he assures me.

“After reading this book only a murderer would eat a snail!” manjula padmanabhan, author and artist, writes of her life in the fictional town of Elsewhere, US, in this weekly column

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Which term originally used for a relief printing plate cast in a mould was first used by columnist Walter Lippmann, now used to describe a substitute for precise analysis and clubbing different individuals into a few general categories?

Answers 1. Bible Belt. Mencken was also the first to dub the Scopes trial as the ‘monkey trial’.

2. Stephen Colbert. Given the times, it is obviously used a lot by the US press 3. Beatlemania, describing the amazing fan reaction to the Beatles, which swept the UK and the US over the next few years 4. Baseball, describing a match between teams led by the Prince of Wales and Lord Middlesex 5. Bromance, now used in a much wider context 6. Beatnik 7. Factoid. Interestingly, he originally meant it as an unverified or inaccurate piece of information.

8. Slam dunk 9. Whodunnit 10. Stereotype

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joy bhattacharjya is a quizmaster and Project Director, FIFA U-17 World Cup t@joybhattacharj

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